In response to complaints by Kanye West and others, Instagram has banned sexually suggestive emojis, including the eggplant and the peach, which resemble parts of the human anatomy.
The eggplant emoji has been used to suggest an erect phallus, while the peach resembles a woman’s buttocks. The water drops resemble ejaculation.
Instagram bosses say users on their platforms can no longer use those emojis – even to cover up genitals on photos.
The emojis can still be used in captions, but not to convey sexually suggestive content or ask for anything sexual. The changes will cut down on sex workers plying their trade on the social media platform.
The new changes have been implemented in Facebook’s Sexual Solicitation Community Standards which took effect on October 24. Sex workers will no longer be allowed to advertise their services on Instagram or Facebook.
Users who are not sex workers still can’t use the emojis in their photo posts. The changes have sparked fury online.
One user wrote:
“Facebook’s about to start banning people for smutty art and butt shots. They still won’t ban Nazis and TERFs because ‘free speech,’ but god help you if you use an eggplant emoji.”
Kanye West complained that social media entices men like him to stray from their marriages by hosting free photos of half naked women.
