The Controversial Instagram Hashtag Ban That Has Everyone Talking

In its latest move to regulate "inappropriate" content on Instagram, the popular social media app no longer allows users to search the hashtag #curvy. When you enter the term on the site, all that appears is an error message stating "sorry, this page isn't available."

An Instagram spokesperson told BuzzFeed that the hashtag was not searchable because "it was being used to share images and videos that violated Instagram's community guidelines around nudity." But unlike other banned terms like #vagina or #sex, the term curvy goes beyond a sexual connotation. For most women, the word is used to celebrate body positivity, and many of the industry's top plus-size models embrace the term as a way to promote confidence for women of all body types.

While #curvy has lost its standing, related terms like #skinny and #thin remain (although both of these come with a content advisory) as well as more offensive search terms like #fatty.

This is just the latest controversy for the social platform, which has been criticized for censoring women's nipples and menstrual blood in the past. And as the #freethenipple movement has gained momentum, we'd like to officially nominate #embracecurvy as the next hashtag to take off. Read on for a look at a few of the models who convince us that curves are in, no matter what hashtag you decide to use.