What, exactly, is going on at Twitch? Just a few months ago, Amazon’s streaming service opened the door to more suggestive attire and artistic nudity on streams. Then, the company rolled back these policies, claiming it “went too far” with its changes.
Now, it seems like Twitch is either becoming more prude than ever or, conversely, more confusing and inconsistent than before. That seems to be the case after VTuber FeFe was banned from Twitch for exposing her model’s … belly?
“My VTuber model is extremely TOS!” she tweeted on January 25, clearly panicked. “There are so many VTubers that break TOS, so why am I being banned?”
VTuber FeFe’s Twitch ban, explained
Early on January 25, Twitter account @StreamerBans reported that FeFe had been banned from Twitch. FeFe later revealed that the ban was officially indefinite, and that her suspension “will not be automatically lifted.” While FeFe has the option to appeal her Twitch ban, she remains extremely confused as to why she was blocked from streaming, according to her original suspension announcement tweet.
FeFe claims this is actually her fifth ban in the last month, and that she feels the suspension is “targeted harassment.”
“Every time I’ve been banned I’ve changed my model, made it more wholesome. Literally made my stream the most wholesome streams on the platform!” FeFe said. “[E]very ban I have appealed has been rejected. I have been banned once a week for 3 weeks now,” she tweeted.
In a follow-up post, FeFe revealed that Twitch believed her VTuber model displayed “inappropriate attire.” A photo sent by Twitch highlights her model’s torso. In the image, FeFe can be seen wearing a black crop-top dress shirt, with buttons strained against her chest. Cleavage can be seen at the top and middle, although exposure is minimal, and her model’s nipples are fully covered.
Otherwise, FeFe has her stomach exposed, along with a hint of high-waisted panties. But beyond the slight cleavage shown, nothing in the stream appears even remotely suggestive. In fact, her model seems perfectly reasonable, like the kind of anime character you would see in Persona or Honkai: Star Rail.m
So what was the real problem? Was it her exposed belly and navel piercing? This led her to criticize Twitch, tweeting: “OmG a WoMaNs BeLlY.”
Is Twitch cracking down on female VTubers?
According to guidelines Twitch linked to FeFe, the streaming service asks streamers to “cover your nipples” and not to “expose underbust,” with cleavage “unrestricted as long as these coverage requirements are met and it is clear that the streamer is wearing clothing.” Nothing about FeFe’s model violates this rule, and by all accounts, her VTuber appears safe-for-work. So, it remains unclear why, exactly, FeFe was banned.
That said, it seems somewhat unlikely that Twitch is becoming more prude—at least, not more than before. But inconsistency is a common problem with Twitch moderation, with marginalized streamers in particular regularly scrutinized for their behavior and bodies on stream, as The Mary Sue reported last year. One streamer will face minimal restrictions for TOS-violating behavior, while others will experience harsh punishment for seemingly doing nothing wrong, as FeFe herself pointed out.
And in FeFe’s case, it’s not a coincidence that she’s a female VTuber. In the end, this is just another example of Twitch zealously wielding its rules against female streamers—misogynistically dictating how women can dress and behave on camera, even virtual anime women.
(featured image: FeFe)
