Instagram Size Discrimination: Size 24 Teen Accuses Instagram Of Weight Discrimination For Removing Selfie, Suspending Account


A teen is accusing Instagram of size discrimination after a revealing selfie she took was removed and her account suspended. 19-year-old Samm Newman is a size 24 and has no issues with her body. The Central Ohio college student wants to help change how social media looks at weight and body image after her account was recently removed for “violating community guidelines” because she snapped a picture of herself donning a bra and shorts.

Speaking with NBC4i.com, Newman says:

“How confident can you be if you keep censoring yourself because people don’t want to look at you.”

The college student says she used to engage in self-harm and was bullied throughout her school years. Fox43.com adds that Newman said she used to eat lunch in the bathroom because she was harassed. When she got into college her confidence spiked after finding support online. She involved herself in a body positivity movement on Instagram. She found a group of women on there that used hashtags like #bodyloving and #pizzasister4lyfe and shared photos with one another.

Newman says Instagram was her “safe place” because she felt she could totally be herself and share anything. It comes off a size or weight discrimination problem, at least it seems to Samm.

Samm believes there’s a double-standard because of her size. Although Facebook, who owns Instagram, claimed she “violated community guidelines” against revealing nudity or mature content, it’s a different story for many others who have posted scantily clad images of themselves. Celebrities are famous for such stunts.

Instagram Size Discrimination

When Newman posted the photo of her on the social network, it was removed hours later.

“I didn’t find them or the bra at all inappropriate. They covered me entirely and I’ve seen pictures like that all over Instagram.”

The size 24 teen insists that it’s size discrimination, plain and simple. She sees far worse violations with selfies, but the difference is those women are thin. Samm Newman isn’t giving up, though. She’s going to fight this and hopefully motivate others in the process. She asserts:

“I’m going to make a difference in the world, regardless of whether Instagram cooperates or not.”

After Samm’s story made the news, a statement from Instagram claims they made a “mistake.” The network provided this for NBC4i.com:

“When our team processes reports from other members of the Instagram community, we occasionally make a mistake. In this case, we wrongly removed content and worked to rectify the error as soon as we were notified. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

[Image via FOX43.com]

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