This article contains sexually explicit material.
Last night, Justin Bieber posted a photo of his butt to Instagram, and the Internet had a collective Scanners moment.
Interestingly, while a handful of female celebs continue seeing their boob and butt shots deleted on Instagram, Bieber’s photo is still up this morning, further illustrating Instagram’s double standard on nudity. The Internet wasted no time deconstructing it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/40ui8ZQzAw/
https://twitter.com/bocarauhI/status/618386882452307969
Cute New logo @google! @justinbieber #LetsSeeTheRestOnShots pic.twitter.com/g1r3fAcgis
— 🤟🏻Perla🔥 (@perlacazares_) July 7, 2015
And then #FreeTheButtcheek became a thing, as well as a pleas for Bieber to TURN AROUND.
https://twitter.com/tyleroakley/status/618257207650430976
like i get that he's working on some type of comeback moment, but as long as he keeps giving gifts to the gays i guess i'mma have to support
— tyler oakley // schedule pinned (@tyleroakley) July 7, 2015
Frankie rn 😂 #TURNAROUNDJUSTIN pic.twitter.com/7L44uAcxhO
— nathalie (@tallykidrauhl) July 7, 2015
But what’s Bieber really pointing at in the photo? We may never know for sure.
Update 11:01am CT: One theory for what’s on the horizon?
Jason Reed
Update 10:52am CT: In case you need a GIF of this moment, we got you a present:
Jason Reed
Or, if you’d prefer a safe-for-work take:
Jason Reed
Jason Reed
Update 12:01pm CT, July 8: A representative from Instagram had no specific comment on the Bieber photo, instead pointing back to the community guidelines on nudity (emphasis added):
We know that there are times when people might want to share nude images that are artistic or creative in nature, but for a variety of reasons, we don’t allow nudity on Instagram. This includes photos, videos, and some digitally-created content that show sexual intercourse, genitals, and close-ups of fully-nude buttocks. It also includes some photos of female nipples, but photos of post-mastectomy scarring and women actively breastfeeding are allowed. Nudity in photos of paintings and sculptures is OK, too.
Update 12:34pm CT, July 14: Bieber deleted the photo after it offended someone’s daughter.
Photo via Justin Bieber/Instagram
