#Censored: Banned Instagram Hashtags

Ever found yourself searching for an Instagram hashtag that should be there but all you see is “no hashtags found?” Chances are you’ve stumbled on one of these banned Instagram hashtags. So before you tag your next post, make sure that what you’re trying to say hasn’t already been censored.

#EggplantFriday

#EggplantFriday was a wild ride, but Instagram pulled this hashtag in early January 2015. Instagram never released an official statement as to why, but we bet this trend was just a little bit too-close-to-nudity to survive.

#underwear

This one has been frustrating folks for a while. Anyone advertising #underwear or #lingerie is plain out of luck. But for some reason, #boxershorts and #tightywhities are OK.

#photography

Instagram is a great place for budding artists — as long as they stick another label on their work.

#sexy

Sexy and you know it? Twitter is a better place to let people know.

#iphone

Sometimes Instagram bans things for practical purposes. Terms like #iPhone are so popular that searches just deliver too many results and were being used to spread spam. #Instagram is banned for the same reason.

#breasts

Speaking of Instagrams’s strict policy against nudity, almost everything related to women’s top halves are banned. That also includes #cleavage and #boobs.

#bitches

Can you cuss on Instagram? Sort of.

For example, curse words like #bitches (and #b*tches) will give you zero results. But for some reason, #bitch is OK. And so are #bitchesbelike, #bitchesofig, #bitchyougotit and other creative uses of the word.

We don’t really understand how the rules work either.

#bubblebutt

Women who are proud of their derrieres will have to hashtag them on Twitter from now on. This one is banned too.

#loseweight

What does Instagram have against diets? Certain phrases like #loseweight and #thinspo were removed when teens with eating disorders were using them to spread unhealthy messages. If you want to IG your diet success, try #weightloss for better results.

#weed

In an effort to keep Instagram from supporting illegal sales, #marijuana and #weed are no-nos.

#popular

You can be popular on Instagram, you just can’t be #popular.

#naked

You won’t have any luck with #nekkid either. Luckily, there are tons of other sites that are way better suited for your nudity fix.

What Now?

Instagram may not allow you to search these banned hashtags, but there are third party search engines like this one. Just plug in the hashtag that’s giving you no results and find out what folks are saying about it.