The period that rocked Instagram

Within the past week Instagram has been critiqued for their taking down of certain photos that claim to break the community guidelines. These guidelines explicitly state that pictures containing nudity, self-harm, and illegal acts gets taken down. So what exactly did these photos consist of? Well I’m sure most people already know if they have been on the internet within the past few days.

The University of Waterloo Student, Rupi Kaur, has to create a photo series for her visual rhetoric class. She choose to make hers all about the female menstrual cycle. Rupi decided to write an open letter to Instagram in which she tells how she expected them to be taken down. Also how there are countless images of women whom may be underage being objectified on their site.

The saga continues as she puts the photo up again, than it gets removed again. But why does one think that it had gotten take down? It did not break any of the community guidelines nor was it objectifying women, it was clearly to make a point that women are creatures who have a period once a month (Rupi goes on to explain the purpose of the photos in her open letter).

I understand that it is 2015 women get periods and it is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. But as a female myself, I do not want to see another women’s menstrual blood scrolling through my feed. The photos for me personally are not meant to be put on the internet. I think a period should stay behind a closed bathroom door.

Billons on billions of women get a period each month, but never does it need to be flaunted in an Instagram photo. Each and every person is entitled to their own opinion on this matter and how they choose to deal with said period. But all I can say is Rupi definitely would not get a follow from me.