An artist who aimed to break the taboo around women’s menstruation and periods had her picture removed twice by Instagram – after they claimed it was “violating community standards”.
Rupi Kaur uploaded an image of herself with blood on her bed and trousers as a post in a menstruation themed photo series which she hoped would challenge the taboos around women’s menstruation.
Rupi and her sister Prabh shot a series of images, which were removed by the social media site, which showed a woman with blood visible on her clothes or bed sheets. After the initial shots were removed, the sisters uploaded the snaps again. Again these were deleted by post administration.
When the pair challenged Instagram on removing the images, the images were eventually restored.
Speaking to the BBC, Toronto native Kaur said:
“I wasn’t being provocative. When I initially put it up I knew there would be some controversy and some hate comments and then it would go away. Never in a million years did I expect it to be on every major headline everywhere.
“It was interesting the way people were belittling the experience and the struggle of the period.
“You won’t go on vacation because of your period, you change your wedding date, it goes everywhere with you and you are in so much pain. Women are hospitalised.”
Instagram later apologised for removing the images.
