India is often targeted for being an outrageously hyper-patriarchial society. But let's face it, it isn't just India. Rupi Kaur, a Sikh poet studying at the University of Waterloo, Canada, knows that only too well. She posted an image which is a part of her photoseries project for a visual rhetoric course on Instagram. It was subsequently taken down by Instagram citing violation of the 'Community Guidelines'. Here's the picture :

Source : Rupi Kaur

One does not need to look at it twice to understand why it was taken down. The patch of menstrual blood on the sheets and the sweats were probably not to their taste. However, Rupi decided to re-post the photo and wrote thus :

"Thank you @instagram for providing me with the exact response my work was created to critique. You deleted a photo of a woman who is fully covered and menstruating stating that it goes against community guidelines when your guidelines outline that it is nothing but acceptable. The girl is fully clothed. The photo is mine. It is not attacking a certain group. Nor is it spam. And because it does not break those guidelines I will re-post it.

I will not apologize for not feeding the ego and pride of a misogynist society that will have my body in an underwear but not be okay with a small leak

when your pages are filled with countless photos/accounts where women (so many of whom are underage) are objectified, pornified, and treated less than human. Thank you. This image is a part of my photoseries project for my visual rhetoric course. you can view the full series at rupikaur.com .

Source : Rupi Kaur

I bleed each month to help make humankind a possibility. My womb is home to the divine, a source of life for our species, whether i choose to create or not. But very few times is it seen that way. In older civilizations this blood was considered holy. In some it still is. But a majority of people, societies, and communities shun this natural process. Some are more comfortable with the pornification, the sexualization of women, the violence and degradation of women than this.

Source : Rupi Kaur

They cannot be bothered to express their disgust about all that but will be angered and bothered by this. We menstruate and they see it as dirty, attention seeking, sick, a burden. As if this process is less natural than breathing. as if it is not a bridge between this universe and the last. As if this process is not love, labour, life. Selfless and strikingly beautiful."

Instagram took down the photo once again.

The poet then wrote on Tumblr :

"Dear tumblr family, Instagram has chosen to once again, take down this image for violating community guidelines. Despite the fact that about 95% of comments were beautiful. And in support. This just goes to show who is sitting behind the desk. And who's controlling the show, who's controlling the media and who's censoring us.

Source : Phawker

It’s sad that this is still happening in this world. I know that some communities and cultures go out of their way to shun and oppress a woman on her period. I guess Instagram is another one of them. Some women aren’t allowed in their religious place of worship or out of their homes to do certain things. And are told they are sick. As if the period is a common cold.

Yes. This is what happens even here, in North America.

Source : Rupi Kaur

I have been hospitalized many times because of issues associated with my period. I have been suffering from a sickness related to my period. And ever since I have been working so hard to love it. Embrace it. Celebrate it. Even thought it’s given me so much pain in the past few years. and they want to tell me I should be quiet about this. That all of this we experience collectively does not need to be seen. Just felt secretly behind closed doors. That’s why this is important. Because when I first got my period my mother was sad and worried. And they want to censor all that pain. Experience. Learning. No.

Source : Rupi Kaur

I am going to share the photo again once I figure out how to go about it. I would appreciate if you could @instagram and express your thoughts. Or even share the photo on whatever social media platform.

Their patriarchy is leaking. Their misogyny is leaking. We will not be censored."

Though it is sad to see how a leading social networking platform has behaved in this distasteful manner, it is heartening to see that this girl took it upon herself to make a difference to this world by sharing her work. Let's make her efforts count, can we?

LATEST UPDATE: Instagram apologises

Instagram apologised for removing Rupi's photo twice. This is what they had to say :

"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."

The photo is now visible on Rupi's Instagram handle. She said she is glad that she won this battle, but amused that anyone thought it was more than 'just a red spot' in the first place.