Woman Receives Death Threats After Posting Bloody Instagram Picture Protesting Period Shaming

Temple University student Louelle Denor is making waves on Instagram for a controversial photo she posted. In the picture, Denor’s hand covered in blood from her period and she’s grasping her menstrual cup.

View this post on Instagram

It's come to my attention that women are having their images removed for showing menstrual blood (and no nudity). This is very seriously fucked up. If this was a picture of blood from a finger laceration, there'd be no issue. Yes, this blood is from my #vagina . It happens every month. The thing I'm holding in my hand is a #softcup #menstrualcup and it's awesome but messy to remove. #periodblood ————————————————————————- #menstrualblood #iamafeminist #feminism nism #feminist #equality #menstruation #blood #bloodyfingers #periodshame #havingmyperiod ————————————————————————- ❌❌❌FOR THE FULL EXPLANATION AND DEFENSE OF THIS IMAGE, READ goo.gl/9tSAeY❌❌❌ ————————————————————————- Update: Instagram says that no one had their accounts banned for menstrual blood, rather, individual pictures had been removed. And while Instagram has no explicit policy against menstrual blood, they have removed such photos citing their nebulous community standards. Some of these photos have been restored and some have not. As you can see, mine remains up, which is great. When I posted this image, I had read otherwise – that Instagram had banned accounts. But now knowing that this was not the case, I think it's important to make this clarification. ❌❌FEEL FREE TO USE THIS IMAGE. NO PERMISSIONS NECESSARY ❌❌

A post shared by Louelle Denor (@louelle_louelle_) on Aug 16, 2015 at 10:35am PDT

The caption reads,

It’s come to my attention that women are having their accounts banned for showing menstrual blood (and no nudity). This is very seriously fucked up. If this was a picture of blood from a finger laceration, there’d be no issue. Yes, this blood is from my #vagina. It happens every month. The thing I’m holding in my hand is a #softcup#menstrualcup and it’s awesome but messy to remove. #periodblood#menstrualblood #iamafeminist#femenism #feminist #equality#menstruation #blood #bloodyfingers#periodshame #havingmyperiod

I can’t say I’d be stoked to come across this on my newsfeed, but Denor has apparently received death threats since posting the photo two weeks ago, and has been called everything from a “sick bitch” to a “f*cking feminist dumb c*nt.”
In response to the hateful comments, Denor said,

Let’s treat each other with respect. You don’t have to agree with me, nor like the image. That’s okay. I won’t call you names or belittle you for it. I think it’s time we usher in a new wave of kindness toward each other, regardless of our differences.

IMO, camdenootd who commented on the photo summed it up best. She wrote,

I consider myself a “feminist” and I have no problem discussing parts of the female body, but if strangers on the Internet don’t want to see my menstrual blood, I wouldn’t get offended. It’s gross…I think it’s gross to look at my own…the human body, while totally natural, is still gross. I don’t think women should be restricted on talking about their bodies, but showing bodily fluids (especially blood, which some people have a problem with in general) and then getting upset when others don’t want to see it is a bit far in my opinion. Nobody deserves death threats and@louelle_louelle_ I totally understand where you’re coming from, but I think it’s a bit of a stretch to consider this a “feminist” issue. And if a guy posted a picture of his semen or someone else posted a picture of something they coughed up, I would have the same reaction.