curvy [kur-vee] (adjective):

1. having many curves.

2. informal: (especially of a woman's figure) shapely and voluptuous.

For many, many years body shaming has been a huge issue in our society. Words such as fat, heavy-set, and overweight are constantly thrown around to describe plus-sized women. With photoshop transforming girls into flawless creations, the pressure to be thin seems to be more prominent than ever before and it is extremely easy to become self-conscious. With that being said, instead of feeling ashamed of how they look, many women of the plus-sized community have been celebrating their curves, just like they should! So, why would Instagram ban the hashtag #curvy?

Although the ban on the hashtag #curvy has been lifted, the excuse Instagram originally used for banning the word was that it went against the app's policy on nudity. Apparently people had been using the hashtag to look up pornography. However, it really baffles me as to why other hashtag's such as #FreeTheNipple and #vagina were not banned considering they express more nudity than a hashtag that is used to describe a voluptuous woman.

Searching the hashtag #curvy was a way for women to connect with one another and to gain some self-confidence by seeing images of other women of curvaceous figures proudly posing wearing things like swim suits. As furious as they may have been once the ban was placed, it did not stop these women from posting the photos that they so well deserved to post. Hashtag's such as #curvee and #StillCurvy were used as a replacement for the original hashtag #curvy.

There is such as unrealistic standard of beauty in today's society and we are so often taught to be ashamed of the way we look. The "curvy" community has come such a long way and they were not going to back down just because an app placed such an idiotic and down right unjust ban on a hashtag because a few sickos used the hashtag inappropriately. They used their voices to express how they felt and they were heard. Whether you're thick, thin, curvy, skinny, or however else you chose to categorize yourself, it should not matter. You should always be proud of your image and celebrate your "flaws" (as society would put it) because that's what makes you, YOU!