Tommy Lee, the drummer for Motley Crue, made news recently for posting a full-frontal nude picture on Instagram giving the world a glimpse of his assets.
Again.
The picture remained up for several hours despite Instagram's notoriously puritanical policies on nudity on the platform. Reactions on Twitter—where the post remains up (link contains NSFW images) due to Twitter's own more open policies—are a mixture of immediate reactions to Lee's nudity and reminiscing about Lee's older, ahem, body of work.
However, conversation quickly moved to critiquing what many see as Instagram's double-standard for male and female nudity.
First, people were a bit in shock at Lee's nudity appearing in their Instagram feed in the middle of the night. This would make sense, as scrolling through one's Instagram feed isn't supposed to have surprise nude images.
That's half the point of Instagram's policy.
everyone who opens instagram at 3am and follows tommy lee pic.twitter.com/BLk0k8sh3Z
— rad dad (@ohemgeeijizzed) August 11, 2022
when you open instagram at 3am and you follow tommy lee pic.twitter.com/tWflBenUPl
— deidre 🦇 (@secularhazed) August 11, 2022
I can never unsee that photo , it’s ingrained in me
— Kylie Minogue Stan Account 🌸 (@luisderas_) August 15, 2022
3 days ago tommy lee's dick was the first thing i saw when i woke up and today it was ringo's toes.....what did i ever do to deserve this 😔
— tammy (@duffsvelvet) August 14, 2022
Some accounts came in with palate-cleansers.
Sorry for everyone who follows tommy lee on instagram, heres a wholesome doggo to cleanse your eyes pic.twitter.com/ZXnXvl9n2f
— TheDoggoGiver (@Zebaka01) August 11, 2022
After the shock, some old-timers recalled this isn't Lee's first entanglement with nudity in the public sphere.
Me over 20 years ago : “welp I just saw Tommy Lee’s dick I hope that never happens again”
Me opening Twitter today : pic.twitter.com/oT7b2Q5e7i
— feinbhas a ghabhail (@TheDongSide) August 11, 2022
If I had a nickel for every time in my life the world went nuts over tommy lee's hog, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it's happened twice.
— 🐺 Violet 🐺 (@VVolvenDaughter) August 11, 2022
"We saw Tommy Lee's dick!"
35-45 year olds: pic.twitter.com/jjnx50oitR
— Mister Fister, PhD (@FistOfSeduction) August 11, 2022
Gen X seeing Tommy Lee’s junk again. pic.twitter.com/IwdRoI0A4k
— itsallrealitv (@itsallrealitv) August 12, 2022
But as the post remained up on Instagram without being pulled by the platform's famously quick-draw indecency moderators, people began to note the difference between his account and those of women who have photos pulled for nipples visible through clothing.
why is tommy lee’s dick on his instagram and WHY ARE THE GUIDELINES IGNORING IT pic.twitter.com/hnf02M2bNp
— kits austen (@anyasbarbie) August 11, 2022
Women's accounts get banned on #Instagram for just showing nipples and yet #TommyLee can post a full frontal dick pic and not get into trouble. The double standards
— BikzIsMe (@BikzIsMe) August 11, 2022
so tommy lee can post his full cock on main for eight whole hours but instagram is putting sex workers on a terror watch list lol
— ً (@liIpochaco) August 11, 2022
People who have run into Instagram's policies before noted the discrepancy in the application of Instagram's policies.
how is tommy lee's hog still up on instagram but when i post an artistic nude with a slither of a nipple my entire account gets flagged
— baker miller punk (@tanyavolt) August 11, 2022
The first thing I see on my instagram newsfeed this morning was Tommy Lee's naked pic. How has instagram not taken it down already? I got a ban for 7 days for my hump day pic one time. Instagram has favourites 😭
— sarah robinson (@sarah_j_robins) August 11, 2022
People also commented it's not just Instagram's policies that have a double-standard.
It's a reflection of a cultural double-standard.
2022 and we have to witness Tommy Lee being praised for posting a frontal nude while Britney Spears is constantly momshamed for posting sexy pics ffs pic.twitter.com/ctu0EF8fCc
— Bia Wheats ˢᶜᶜᵖ 🇧🇷 (@biatrigo) August 11, 2022
The picture remains in wide-circulation on Twitter, but Instagram finally took it down.
For now, it seems that double-standards still apply, but enough public pressure will eventually force Instagram's hand.
@jaketapoer/Bluesky
@BillAckman/Twitter