Instagram is no longer letting people search using the hashtag #curvy, a tag predominantly used to celebrate body positivity. Other hashtags such as #fat, #chubby and #fatfuck remain acceptable.

We contacted Instagram and a spokesperson said that one of the reasons Instagram makes hashtags unsearchable is if they are commonly associated with photos or videos that violate their community guidelines.

The hashtag #curvy was reportedly used to tag content that violates the site’s nudity policies; rules that don’t allow photos, videos or digitally-created content depicting sexual intercourse, genitals, close-ups of fully-nude buttocks or images of female nipples. Basically, people were filling the #curvy hashtag with unsuitable imagery, so Instagram banned the term altogether. Other variations on curvy are still usable such as #curvygirl, #curvyfashion and #curvywomen.

So why has just #curvy been banned? It could be automatic – perhaps a high number of pictures featuring the hashtag violated Instagram’s rules and it shut it down automatically. Who knows. It appears that Instagram is doing more about nudity than it is about body-shaming – terms such as #fatpig and #fatfuck are still OK.

It’s a shame for those who use the #curvy hashtag to celebrate their body and size. This isn’t the first time the site has banned a term because it was commonly associated with sexual images – it banned the eggplant emoji because of its less-than-innocent connotations. To stop Instagram banning hashtags in future, perhaps it would be wise to note that Instagram isn’t really the best platform for porn.