Community Guidelines
This photo series by Lineback features hand-painted nipples on pasties, which are then photographed on a range of human bodies. Each painted nipple is based on reference images of female and trans-identifying individuals—primarily friends and acquaintances—while the models wearing the pasties represent a diverse spectrum of sexes, genders, races, ages (18+), and body types. The work is a playful yet pointed critique of Instagram’s Community Guidelines, which prohibit photographs of female nipples but permit images of nude paintings and sculptures. By turning painted representations of nipples into wearable art and then photographing them on real bodies, Lineback blurs the line between art and censorship, questioning what qualifies as acceptable nudity in digital spaces.
Instagram’s Community Guidelines:
“Post photos and videos that are appropriate for a diverse audience.
We know that there are times when people might want to share nude images that are artistic or creative in nature, but for a variety of reasons, we don’t allow nudity on Instagram. This includes photos, videos, and some digitally-created content that show sexual intercourse, genitals, and close-ups of fully-nude buttocks. It also includes some photos of female nipples, but photos of post-mastectomy scarring and women actively breastfeeding are allowed. Nudity in photos of paintings and sculptures is OK, too.”