The update changed Tumblr’s rules to allow nudity—but not sexually explicit images–to be shared on the platform. Earlier this fall, the social media site hinted at the possible revision but waited until Nov. 1 to share the news. As of Tuesday, Tumblr users could return to sharing imagery and art as it relates to the “human form.” The new rules regarding nudity were clarified in a post shared by staff via the Tumblr Help Center, which credited the new Community Labels as the driving force behind the update. “We recently introduced Community Labels to give everyone more control over their dashboard experience. With this new feature, you can adjust your feed to your preferred comfort level by setting the types of content you want to see. It was our first step toward a more open Tumblr. Today, we’re taking the next step: We now welcome a broader range of expression, creativity, and art on Tumblr, including content depicting the human form (yes, that includes the naked human form),” the company wrote in its statement. The post continued: “Even if your creations contain nudity, mature subject matter, or sexual themes, you can now share them on Tumblr using the appropriate Community Label so that everyone remains in control of the types of content they see on their dash. We have updated our Community Guidelines to reflect these changes; the rest of our content policies remain the same: We still don’t allow hate, spam, violent threats, or anything illegal, and visual depictions of sexually explicit acts remain off-limits on Tumblr.” The revised community guidelines come after a four-year-long ban on adult content in its entirety, including “female-presenting” nipples. Back in 2018, the blogging platform was purchased by Verizon, who ultimately banned explicit imagery as a whole until it sold the company to WordPress’ parent company, Automattic, in late 2019. And while Tumblr’s CEO Matt Mullenweg has said that it has no plans to reverse its ban on porn, the platform’s users are just happy to be able to share the art of nudes again. “Tumblr coming in for the deathblow by letting you post naked pics again,” one user joked, referencing the widespread criticism of Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter. To that same beat, someone else shared a meme that dramatized the situation, writing, “tumblr letting nsfw content back on the platform the same week twitter is in shambles like.” Another user seemingly predicted the news just days prior, “Tumblr’s in a fascinating position right now in that they could shift all the power in social media circles and put the death blow on Twitter if they just unbanned boobs.” Here are a few more of the Internet’s best reactions: More News:
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