Navigating Twitch’s stance on nudity has proven to be a perplexing task for all parties involved, including the platform itself, especially highlighted during the hot tub meta of 2021. When a major streaming platform feels compelled to assure its audience that it won’t penalize content creators for being provocative, it signals a need for a reevaluation of policies.
In response to a series of streams that gained traction for their risqué nature, Twitch has unveiled updated sexual content guidelines that strike a balance between artistic expression and inappropriate content. The new guidelines introduce more flexibility and leniency, allowing for certain types of content that were previously prohibited.
According to an FAQ on the Twitch blog, content that “deliberately highlighted breasts, buttocks, or pelvic region,” even when fully clothed, is now permissible, as are drawn, animated, or sculpted “fully exposed female-presenting breasts and/or genitals or buttocks regardless of gender.” It’s important to note that Twitch likely means female-presenting breasts in conjunction with genitals or buttocks of any gender.
The FAQ outlines additional modifications to Twitch’s policies. Body writing on female-presenting breasts and/or buttocks, irrespective of gender, is now allowed, aligning with Twitch’s existing Attire Policy. Furthermore, streams featuring “erotic dances that involve disrobing or disrobing gestures, such as strip teases,” are permitted with the appropriate label. Popular dances like “twerking, grinding, and pole dancing” are now allowed without the need for a specific label.
Despite these changes, explicit sexual content, such as pornographic games, remains prohibited on the platform. However, games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Baldur’s Gate 3, where nudity isn’t a central focus unless pursued by the player, are still permitted.
These policy adjustments follow a wave of streamers participating in a “topless meta” in recent weeks, using deceptive camera angles to create the illusion of being topless. Twitch responded promptly with bans but has now introduced these new guidelines to clarify and ease its stance on nudity.
While the updated policies are more forgiving than Twitch’s previous rules, they still attempt to delineate between pornographic and tasteful, artistic nudity, a task that may prove challenging and subjective. The distinction between the two is likely to remain ambiguous, with streamers potentially unintentionally or deliberately crossing the line as long as Twitch continues to exist.
