We have all felt it in one way or another. The pressure to conform to what is, socially, right or expected. This pressure can come from friends, family, the media. Look in any direction and I guarantee you will find someone telling you how you ‘should’ be acting.

However, when it comes to social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all the others that seem to be taking over the world one post at a time, you can write and upload what you like, right? As long as it doesn’t violate any of their terms then I presume your answer would be: Yes, of course. Hold that thought.

Meet Petra Collins, an artist, photographer, writer and full-time feminist. As someone who freely used social sites she was shocked when an image, posted by herself, caused her Instagram account to be shut down. I know what you are thinking, it must have glorified violence or showing an inappropriate sexual image. My friends, you would be mistaken.
It simply showed her lower half, in bikini bottoms.
Why did that result in her account being shut down? Two words, Pubic Hair.

Let me explain. As mentioned earlier she is a feminist, actively campaigning through her art everyday. As a feminist she does not feel this pressure that is pushed upon women daily to shave her body hair.
Good on her I say!
Instagram didn’t agree.
Out of the other, ‘5,883,628’ images tagged ‘bikini’, this particular one caused a stir with the monitors of Instagram and resulted in her account being terminated.
Can I just clarify here. A women, embracing her natural self and sharing this with the public and most probably, in my opinion, making young women question what they consider to be attractive or normal is a problem. Yet, the millions of women showing themselves in bikinis when groomed and conforming to the social norm is okay?

Call me completely crazy but in my mind, this does not make sense.
Never did I think that a social site such as Instagram would attempt to silence a women for accepting her body and sharing that with her followers. For anyone who believes that equality is here and that women are free to show themselves however they wish, take this as a lesson. Oppression is rife.
Instagram need to take responsibility and I, and many others, want to know why they felt her image was inappropriate. Let’s see what, if anything, comes of this. No doubt they will continue to silence people without any repercussions, and why, because nobody knows!
Petra’s story is the perfect vessel to get answers and tell stories from others who have experienced the same treatment.

Hear this story from Petra herself: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/petra-collins/why-instagram-censored-my-body_b_4118416.html