Katie Vigos is a Los Angeles nurse who is behind an Instagram account called Empowered Birth Project, which began in 2014. She shares impressive images and videos of pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum, as well as informative messages or photographs about breastfeeding.
However, in all this time there have been several images about births that Instagram has censored, classifying them as offensive material, how pornography is classified, or images with violent content. That's why Katie has started a movement on Change.org to Ask for the end of censorship.
Much more than a photo account
The reasons that led Katie to start her Instagram account were mainly inform and educate women in the stage of pregnancy and the birth process, helping them to understand what happens in their bodies and celebrating life.
And it is that the nurse affirms that without the right knowledge many women are not able to make important decisions at the time of giving birth, nor to trust in the power of their body.
A shared post by Bykatievigos RN, Doula (@empoweredbirthproject) on May 10, 2017 at 8:52 PDT
His account, followed by almost 300,000 thousand people, tries to normalize these moments by publishing photographs and videos that show the reality of birth and postpartum.
"The female body at the time of delivery, blood, pubic hair, buttocks and the image of a baby coming out of a woman's vagina, causes people to denounce those images. But there is no reason why we cannot show photographs of a physiological birth "- Katie explains in statements to The Guardian.
A shared post by Bykatievigos RN, Doula (@empoweredbirthproject) on Feb 12, 2018 at 7:30 PST
He Katie anti-censorship movementHe was born when he learned that a doula had posted pictures of his own birth on his Instagram profile, but that the social network had quickly withdrawn for violating its community norms.
"As a woman, when someone censures you, you feel shame and even regret. You come to think that you have had to do something inappropriate to have you censored. But I had nothing to be ashamed of" - the doula stressed then.
Katie saw the photographs of the doula and decided to publish them in her Empowered Birth Project account while initiating the signature collection campaign, which in just three months has obtained more than 21,000 supports.
"As a mother you are, seeing photos of the strength and power of your body is totally empowering. Birth scares, but only because our society has wrapped him in mystery and shame. Allowing uncensored photographs would help overcome these fears "- says Katie.
A shared post by Bykatievigos RN, Doula (@empoweredbirthproject) on Oct 18, 2017 at 9:38 PDT
Instagram response
Given the repeated censorship that Katie's account has suffered, as well as other accounts of women who have had to see how their birth photographs were eliminated for violating the "conditions of use" of this social network, the nurse has even proposed Pixelate or dim some images.
But for the moment, Instagram's response is firm: "zero tolerance towards the genitals, regardless of context"
"We are aware that some people may want to share nude images of an artistic or creative nature; however, for various reasons, we don't allow them to post nude on Instagram. This restriction applies to photos, videos and certain digital content that show sexual acts, genitals and close-ups of fully exposed buttocks.
"It also applies to some photos of female nipples; however, photos of mastectomy and breastfeeding scars are allowed. Nudes are also accepted in pictures of paintings and sculptures." - it reads in the Instagram community rules
Katie complains that many accounts of medical professionals or hospitals show much more sensitive and graphic photographs than a birth and are not censored. However, he believes that giving birth is considered pornographic because, socially, the female body is only desirable and acceptable in a certain state.
"This retrograde thinking is harmful, and generates a taboo and stigma around birth, which sends the message to women that their power to give birth is offensive and obscene, and that it should be hidden" - he claims
A shared post by Bykatievigos RN, Doula (@empoweredbirthproject) on Sep 12, 2017 at 10:46 PDT
The fight for birth photos without cease
Katie compares the struggle to publish uncensored birth photographs with the efforts that have been made over the years to stigmatize menstruation and breastfeeding. believes that there are many people wishing to see or share their birth photos, and that the time has come to end this ban.
The petition opened three months ago on Change.org reads as follows:
"In recent years, the birth community on Instagram has been growing, celebrating the wonder of pregnancy and childbirth, connecting with other labor professionals and sharing inspiring stories and educational resources."
"It is clear that there is a large audience that appreciates this content and wants to see these images. The birth community has accumulated hundreds of thousands of followers and continues to grow every day. We contribute to the power and popularity of the Instagram platform, and now we request a change and support for our cause "
"Instagram censorship policies continue to inhibit and discourage our work by allowing photos to be deleted and accounts closed. Instagram continues to equate physiological birth with pornography, graphic violence, obscene language and other issues that he considers too offensive to the public. Birth does not belong to the same category as any of these things. "
"This attitude towards birth is counterproductive to our mission of normalizing it and freeing it from shame, stigma and social taboo. The only way to begin to change the way society sees and appreciates birth is to stop categorizing it as material. offensive and begin to allow our community the freedom to share images and information without censorship".
"We ask Instagram to collaborate with its birth community and with the users of its platform to find a better and more productive alternative to censorship. We propose the following:
Recategorize all content related to birth as educational material, in its own unique category if necessary
Let our community publish graphic images of physiological birth with the blurred or dimmed images, so that users have to click to see the images better. This gives the birth community the freedom to share meaningful content, and Instagram users decide whether or not they want to see it.
Continue to provide additional layers of protection for birth-related accounts and work with influencers and users to restore content and accounts as necessary.
"Thank you Nicole and the Instagram team for protecting our accounts and restoring content and pages that have been unfairly removed. We now request your support in this next phase of our mission to normalize birth and begin to heal the shame and stigma of the society around the miracle that has given us all life. "
It's true that the Empowered Birth Project account contains really impressionable images, but as Katie says, they are part of life and they are a reality that women face when we give birth. What do you think of this nurse's request and Instagram's policy regarding birth photos?
Istock Pictures, @empoweredbirthproject
Via The Guardian
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