When you open up Instagram, head to the magnifying glass tab and search “curvy.” Don’t be surprised when you don’t see an option. Some of the only curvy-friendly, searchable tags include #curvygirl, #curvywoman, #curvyfashion, #curvyfit and #curvymodel, but not #curvy itself. "Why?" you may ask. Well, the app has decided to make searching the singular word “curvy” a dead end.
Instagram has taken action to remove “curvy” from being searched because the word was being connected to many images on the app involving nudity and inappropriate content. But if what Instagram is trying to do is limit inappropriate content, is eliminating the search for “curvy” the right way to go about it? We can think of many other words that should be removed from search options instead of “curvy" (note: #boobs and #vagina are still allowed).
If anything, Instagram’s actions have definitely caught the attention of plus-size women. The decision has inadvertently associated a stigma with a word once innocently used to describe a body type.
While we get that Instagram is trying to keep the user experience friendly and appropriate, we're not sure this controversial decision was the right way to do it.