Instagram threatens to close Madonna’s photo sharing account

Once upon a time, Madonna was considered cutting edge in terms of taste and decency, with her videos for singles like “Like A Prayer” and “Justify My Love” sparking outrage and condemnation from the moral majority for their racy sexual and religious imagery. Nowadays, the one-time Queen of Pop – a title taken over by the likes of Lady Gaga and others – may have fallen from critical favor and the wider world’s collective mind (when was the last time that you thought about Madonna prior to reading this story?), but at least she’s retained her ability to upset… Well, upset Instagram’s terms of service, at least.

As Madonna shared via Instagram – irony alert! – she received a message from the photo sharing site that she had violated the terms of service somehow. The note suggested that the singer should not share photos that she doesn’t own or ones that may contain illegal content, attack an individual or group, or show nudity or mature content. “We strongly suggest deleting any additional content on your account that may not fall in line with the above guidelines or our Terms of Use,” the message continues, before adding that the company “value[s] these guidelines, and believe[s] that they will help keep Instagram a safe & fun place for everyone. It is important to note that continuing to violate them may result in a disabled account, or discontinued access to Instagram, without warning.”

The form message didn’t go as far as to pinpoint which photographs in particular had been flagged, but given that Madonna has only shared 20 images via the service, it’s not hard to check which ones might be behind the problem. While some may point to the “Here is my sweaty cleavage at the gym” photo as something that might have raised an eyebrow, it’s more likely that it’s the two separate photos of artist Frida Khalo that were actually behind the message, since these photos clearly contravene the “do not share photos that aren’t yours” rule.

While the reason for the latter may be less exciting than it at first seemed, there’s little doubt that Madonna is likely secretly thrilled to have received the message from Instagram central. After all, she made the message public herself when she really didn’t have to, and if viewed from a certain angle (a particularly generous angle, admittedly), the message prove the idea that Madonna can still make trouble and be victimized by “The Man” almost three decades after she first came on the scene. Everyone wins – apart from whoever actually owns the rights to those Frida Khalo photos.