“ We are also updating our moderation framework to pay close attention to the context and intent in addition to the words or actions used.”

“ We’ll be looking at contextual elements such as the stream title, camera angles, emotes, panels, attire, overlays, and chat moderation.”

Above from the Twitch Community Guidelines Update on February 8th — https://blog.twitch.tv/twitch-community-guidelines-updates-f2e82d87ae58

Hi, I’m Eris. I was given a 24 hr suspension on Twitch for wearing yoga clothes during a yoga stream. I’m here to lecture those harassing women and decry Twitch for lying about context mattering for bans. Stick around for explicit pictures intended for Hassan, but I decided I like you more.

I live with a larger streamer named Destiny who was also recently banned, but my suspension had little to do with it. Living with a banned streamer, they ask that you do not focus your stream on said person, but note that incidentals are taken in context. If this were the reason for my ban, it would likely have occurred days ago. Hysterically, this is only issue I’ve ever seen Twitch address where they actually remember they announced context matters in the new Community Guidelines.

I’m not a controversial streamer. I do not push boundaries. I wear yoga attire while doing yoga. I wear crop tops when it’s 100+F outside. I often just wear what’s most comfortable to me. I stream IRL, cooking, yoga, my cat, illustration, and occasionally games. I understand IRL attracts some less-than-stellar demographics, but I treat it professionally, teach people what I know, learn from those who know more, and encourage everyone to get into whatever activity we’re doing. In general, this discourages the “wrong type of person” from sticking around, but they still make an appearance.



These people will often have multiple accounts where they’re asking you for nudes for money on one while making threats on another. When you make the connection for them or make it clear you have no interest, they give you lovely compliments:

phantomzombi: but nevermind I will goggle your address where you live and rape you then kill you with my knife kill your whole family in front of you then your cat bitchass cunt shut up nobody cares about your dumbass retarded money whore”

shadowswarriors: I will find out where you live and rape you then kill you with my knife bitchass cunt

This happens regardless of what you’re wearing or doing. Cool!!

Today, I had this charming individual come in while I was doing educational yoga.



[2018–07–04 19:39:42 UTC] benjiskilled: I’m squeezing my hog to this. Gonna keep doing it even if you ban me

[2018–07–04 19:40:05 UTC] benjiskilled: she wants it tho

[2018–07–04 19:40:25 UTC] benjiskilled: no one dresses like that on cam and then doesnt expect anons to cum all over their face on their screens

This gem did not get banned from Twitch for these comments until much later, after knowledge circulated. They did, however, report me for my attire. I was banned shortly thereafter.

This is where Twitch’s guidelines and women’s fashion education comes in. Here is the relevant bit:



“[…]for a fitness stream, or an IRL stream from a location such as a public beach, attire appropriate to those public contexts is recommended, such as workout clothes or a swimsuit, respectively.”

https://www.twitch.tv/p/legal/community-guidelines/sexualcontent/#nudity-and-attire

I was wearing a padded halter top and yoga pants while doing yoga after a walk outside in 100+F weather. My yoga streams are conducted in an educational manner, without sexualizing my conduct, camera angles, or any other facet of the stream. I’m not against such activities, but understand that this is not the platform for that and encouraging it taints outside opinion when they hear the word “Twitch”.

Personally, I don’t wear anything on stream I wouldn’t wear out of the house. I don’t wear outfits for yoga that I wouldn’t wear to a yoga studio. Here is my enthusiasm and the padded halter in question:

You may or may not agree that this is ‘too provocative’ or something you personally would wear while doing yoga. I’m less interested in this and the ultimate decision than Twitch actually taking a concrete, consistent stance and acting on their word without a community witch hunt forcing their hand. About anything. Ever.

In addition to having just the bras and shirts and swim tops that you’re used to, women have halter tops, crop tops, bralettes, bandeau tops, bardot tops, tube tops, tunic tops, wrap-tie tops, and so on.

Is there a distinctive amount of difference between the amount of skin showing in any of these kinds of tops or undergarments? No. Are some of them made of materials more ideal for their particular uses? Yes. Does the name of the clothing item and material matter more than the use and context? Twitch seems to think so.

I was told I could possibly appeal my strike, if I show that it’s not a bra.

“Do you have a link to the item from a store or something? Like if it’s in a sports bra section?”

I’m sorry…what?

Do you mean ‘send pics pls’? Am I expected to find a listing for a clothing item I bought years ago? Is my telling you to Google ‘padded halter tops’ or ‘yoga sports bra’ sufficient? If the context of it being disgustingly hot and a suitable top for yoga doesn’t matter and I’m not acting in a manner contrary to the spirit of an educational yoga stream aside from calling out a user for harassing me, how does proving what it’s called and made out of supposed to matter?

I’ve worn a sports bra and wrap-tie crop top on stream a lot and never had issues. I understand this doesn’t necessarily mean they are condoned by Twitch, but considering I used to explicitly ask about their policies every so often to attempt to get a clear idea of what is acceptable, this is particularly frustrating.

They simply will not tell you anything and repeat their canned response. This is true whether or not you are a Partner. It allows them the flexibility to act more arbitrarily without concrete verbiage for anyone to point to. They don’t even properly follow through with previously set precedent on bannings, so you can’t use that as a measure either.

…

(Bonus: In the Twitch Creative FAQ, nude/gory depictions have not been addressed since May 25, 2017, when they claimed they would create a feature to address these artistic avenues. This claim is still in the FAQ: https://help.twitch.tv/customer/en/portal/articles/2176641-creative-faq )

…

I don’t want anyone to go around reporting women who wear halter tops, bralettes, crop tops, sports bras, and so on across the platform. Do not use me as an excuse to tear other women down.

Twitch’s hypocrisy is no surprise.

The community going after other streamers and reporting them for wearing similar things or making similar statements so Twitch can ban them and pretend they aren’t being hypocritical only to go back to business-as-usual tomorrow is no surprise.

Don’t harass streamers. That doesn’t solve anything.

Stop going into their streams and degrading them.

Stop telling them how their looks or skills measure up.

Stop giving them attention if you want them to stop growing.

If you think something is genuinely against the rules, report and move on. Don’t linger. Don’t make it into a hobby to clip. You’re not addressing the issue; you’re turning into a lifeless, embittered creature with no societal value.

You’re taking out your anger on individuals instead of bringing light to the issues with Twitch — they are disgustingly inconsistent and they lied when they claimed they will start taking context into account.

They ignore that it’s friends who are bantering. They ignore if your clothes match your activity. They ignore that you’re using a word to discuss its detriments rather than to offend. They have employees that still want nothing but gaming on Twitch judging your actions. They have employees with favorites they let get away with a lot until their hands are forced and they pretend to follow any rules. This makes them a tool at the mercy of groups that report with the intention to harass and demean streamers they simply don’t like. Stop enabling and participating in this.

If you’re a streamer, diversify your income with a website, merchandise, and off-platform, non-Twitch-dependent sources. If you’re a viewer, watch streams on other platforms, like YouTube, Mixer, and Facebook. When they no longer monopolize the market and don’t have full control of everyone’s pockets, they stop getting to call the shots. They start having to live up to our expectations.

I hope you learned something about boob attire today. Have a cat in a bikini.

-Eris

Twitch/Youtube — erisann

Twitter/Insta — erisannart

Cat’s Twitter — aslanvondran