Instagram Banned This Sexy Pregnant Fitness Star
Brittany Perille Yobe (@brittanyperilleee) has been posting butt-centric fitness videos on Instagram for the better part of two years, racking up 922,000 followers in the process. But after posting a seemingly innocuous exercise tutorial that showed her bare baby belly, her account was abruptly disabled.
Brittany, whose first child is due in February, struggled with an entire trimester’s worth of morning sickness that left her too weak to work out. It was only recently, at the end of her second trimester, that she felt well enough to return to the gym and pick up where she’d left off. She posted her first weight-lifting workout last week:
Initially, Brittany was worried about how people would react to seeing a baby belly where a six-pack had once been.
But she was overwhelmed by the positive feedback from her followers, including some who stepped in to defend her from the few negatives comments she received. It didn’t even dawn on her that her baby belly-baring fitness video could be perceived as inappropriate as per Instagram’s community guidelines:
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...
Despite the fact that Brittany wore leggings and a sports bra in her baby belly fitness video, it was up for fewer than 24 hours before she realized that her entire account had been disabled. She received this note by way of explanation:
“All I was doing in the video was working out like I’d done in all the other workout videos I have posted for years,” Brittany said, convinced that Instagram discriminated against her simply for being pregnant. “There was nothing out of the ordinary in this one besides my bump.”
For reference, here are some of Brittany’s older butt videos, which she’s reposted to a backup Instagram account (@brittanyperillee).
While Instagram had no problem with Brittany posting either of the videos above, she did have one photo (below) deleted from the network last April. Still, she’s never been told that a repeat violation could lead to a permanent ban from the network.
As someone who relies on Instagram for income - she’s built her entire business around the platform, which she uses to market her online training guides and attract paid sponsorships - Brittany isn’t just annoyed by her permanent ban from Instagram but deeply concerned, which is one reason why she’s appealing the decision. Traffic to her website has already tanked and her fitness guide sales are down. And remember, she’s three months away from becoming a first-time mother, an undertaking that will leave her with little time to rebuild her entire Instagram empire from scratch.
As she waits for Instagram to respond to her appeal, she’s begun to repost old content on her backup Instagram account (@brittanyperillee) and is directing her energy toward raising awareness: “I am certain I am not the only woman who has been shut down for posting pictures and videos of a child growing inside my belly,” she says. Here’s to hoping Instagram gives Brittany a break so we can all get back to watching her ~*werk*~ it, baby belly and all.
Update 10/25 11:29 a.m.: Brittany’s main account (@brittanyperilleee) has been reinstated.
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