Horny emojis like the peach and the eggplant are a fun way to liven up your group chat when your friend’s about to get a good Charles Dicken, but it looks like sexy fruits and veggies are about to get Zuck’ed.
[jwplayer XdHG2Ii5]
The Facebook Community Standards guidelines were updated quietly back in July, changing the language regarding sexual expression on both Instagram and Facebook themselves.
Basically, as of September, if you pair a peach or an eggplant emoji with anything that can be classified as “being horny” (according to Out.com guidelines), you’re likely to be flagged for “sexual solicitation”, and could risk getting your account deleted, XBIZ reports.
Mmmm, nothing quite gets me going like reading the terms and conditions of what Facebook thinks is horny.
“[Content] will only be removed from Facebook and Instagram if it contains a sexual emoji alongside an implicit or indirect ask for nude imagery, sex or sexual partners, or sex chat conversations,” an Instagram representative told the New York Post. “We aren’t taking action on simply the emojis.”
You’re also not allowed to put a sneaky eggplant emoji over your IRL eggplant, so they’re really killing all of the fun here.
Gone are the days of sliding into the DMs of your crush with a strategic eggplant-water drop-peach combo. Now you’ll actually have to put some effort into seducing your SO with real words. Pick up a copy of 50 Shades of Grey and get researching because Facebook has officially made it one step harder to organise a late-night booty call.
Thankfully, there is an exception to the rule when it comes to posts discussing “sexual violence and exploitation,” which is the silver-lining to this otherwise grey cloud.
Now, I’m not convinced anyone seriously hits up their significant other with an eggplant or a peach emoji (if you do and it works, please hit up my DMs because I have some questions). These emojis are almost exclusively used within my life to discuss funny sex stories, or pump up my friends before an eggplant or peach appointment.
This ban is honestly just a huge reminder that Zuck is a big ol’ wet blanket that hates fun. Sex is fun. It’s normal, and discussing it openly and honestly is beneficial to everybody. Who doesn’t want a healthy, safe and informative relationship with sex?
Obviously, Facebook and Instagram aren’t the places to post nudes, but they are platforms that encourage positive discourse on important issues, so why the fuck can’t we talk about sex?
The more we make sex a taboo topic, the more we leave vulnerable people open to misinformation or in danger due to a lack of sexual education. Stop being weird about it. Let’s talk about sex, baby.
Unfortunately it looks like you’ll have to stick to Twitter if you want to discuss anything remotely sexual (even the “Do I make you horny?” scene from Austin Powers could be Zuck’ed under the new regulations).
Sorry, hornbags. You’ll have to start serenading your S/O with romantic poetry instead of horny veggies.
