April 09, 2025 |
Erika Lust Decries Deletion of Her Instagram Account |
BARCELONA, Spain â In a statement issued Tuesday, adult filmmaker Erika Lust said Instagram has âpermanently deletedâ her original Instagram account âwithout warning or clear justification.â âThe removal on February 3, 2025, was sudden, with Instagram citing ‘violations regarding sexual solicitation’ â a vague and overused charge that has been disproportionately applied to sex educators, content creators, and wellness brands,â Lustâs representatives said in the statement. âWith over 90,000 followers, the account was a hub for discussions on sexuality, pleasure and ethical adult filmmaking.â In the statement, Lustâs reps said her team has âhas long dealt with shadowbanning, post removals, and content restrictions, challenges that have grown due to Meta’s policies and algorithms which often silence minority voices.â âWe only shared soft, censored content,â Lust said. âYet we were still targeted.â Lust added that censorship âsilences conversations that matter.â âWhen platforms erase sex education and ethical storytelling, they don’t just delete accounts, they erase voices, pleasure, and progress,â she added. The statement noted that in response to the accountâs deletion, Lustâs team has âlaunched a new Instagram account (@erikalust), focusing on PG-rated content.â Despite the âPGâ nature of the new account, Lustâs team says they are âstill encountering shadowbanning reflecting the ongoing challenges faced by sexual wellness educators in navigating platform restrictions.â Lustâs reps also asserted the takedown of her account is ânot an isolated incident,â rather it is âpart of a larger systemic crackdown on sexual wellness and adult content creators across social media.â âIn recent years, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok have come under fire for inconsistently enforcing policies that disproportionately affect sex-positive educators and creators, while mainstream influencers and other cinema brands continue to post provocative content without consequences,â Lustâs reps added. According to the statement, a 2024 study by the CensHERship Campaign found that â90% of organizations sharing women’s health and sexual education content online reported being censored, shadowbanned, or having their posts removed.â âPlatforms have increasingly flagged words like ‘pleasure’ and ‘sexual health’, making it nearly impossible for legitimate ethical businesses and educators to reach their audience,â the statement added. âWe’re seeing an aggressive, algorithmic silencing of conversations around sexuality and pleasure,â Lust said. âMeanwhile, corporations can market sex appeal freely. The double standard is blatant.â Lustâs reps noted that with the deletion of the original account, Lustâs team has lost followers who were âredirected to new channels, only to face continued shadowbanning.â âThe incident raises concerns about social media’s role in erasing sex education, harming small creators, and reinforcing outdated taboos around sexuality,â Lustâs reps added. âAs platforms continue to tighten restrictions, the question remains: Who gets to define what is ‘appropriate’ when it comes to conversations about sex?â Lustâs reps said that for now, her team is ârebuilding under a stricter content approach,â adding that the âfight for fair treatment of sexual wellness creators is far from over.â |