Madonna brands Instagram 'sexist' for censoring her provocative photos

Madonna is unhappy despite images she shared on Instagram breaching the platform's community guidelines. Photo / Getty Images

Madonna has branded Instagram "sexist" for censoring her photos.

The 63-year-old singer was left unimpressed when the platform removed a post she'd shared of images from a provocative photoshoot that showed her nipples, insisting they would never have done so if she was a man.

Sharing censored versions of the images, she wrote: "I'm reposting photographs Instagram took down without warning or notification ... The reason they gave my management that does not handle my account was that a small portion of my nipple was exposed.

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"It is still astounding to me that we live in a culture that allows every inch of a woman's body to be shown except a nipple. As if that is the only part of a woman's anatomy that could be sexualized. The nipple that nourishes the baby!.

"Can't a mans nipple be experienced as erotic ??!! And what about a woman's ass which is never censored anywhere. (sic)"

But the Vogue hitmaker - who has six children - acknowledged it wasn't the first time she's faced discrimination in her lengthy career as she branded America's Thanksgiving traditions "lies".

Madonna's latest post. Photo / Instagram

She added: "Giving thanks that I have managed to maintain my sanity through four decades of censorship ... sexism ... ageism and misogyny.

"Perfectly timed with the lies we have been raised to believe about the pilgrims peacefully breaking bread with the Native American Indians when they landed on Plymouth Rock! God bless America #artistsareheretodisturbthepeace (sic)"

Photo / Instagram

Instagram's community guidelines confirm that nudity is not allowed on the platform and female nipples are included in that - but the male nipple is not.

However, there are some exceptions in which it is allowed to be shown, including images featuring breastfeeding, giving birth and the moments after birth, health-related situations or as an act of protest.