Why Is Twitch Now Allowing 'Artistic Nudity'? The Livetreaming Policy Update And Its Aftermath Explained

Twitch has been at the center of controversies and debates this whole week. The topless meta virality forced the platform to review its sexual content guideline, especially after Morgpie's topless livestream.

Like the 2021 Hot Tube Meta controversy, streamers are thinking about creative ways to bypass Twitch's sexual content guidelines and we are here to explain how they've managed to make the livestreaming company to update its policies.

Why Did Twitch Is Now Allowing "Artistic Nudity"?

Several streamers went viral in December for streaming while they are seemingly naked, showing only a cropped frame above their breasts in an attempt to circumvent Twitch's terms of service while attracting viewers. One creator specifically, the OnlyFans model Morgpie, was banned by the company after doing the topless stream trend (shown below).

Some days later, on December 13th, Twitch was forced to comment on the "topless stream meta," a phrase established by the community for this specific trend, by clarifying and updating their policy for sexual content.

What Are The Updates On Twitch's Sexual Content Policy?

Before the update, content that "deliberately highlighted breasts, buttocks or pelvic region" was normally penalized and resulted in female-presenting streamers being disproportionately penalized. Under the new rules, this format of content is allowed by the company, with the "artistic nudity" segment if creators label the content as containing sexual themes. X page @dexerto uploaded a list of the main updates on the policy, being the following:

- Changes: Certain content now allowed with labels
- Artistic Nudity: Permitted under Sexual Themes Label
- Game Nudity: Contextual; labels necessary
- Body Painting: Acceptable with appropriate label
- Mature Games: Label generally covers content
- Stream Visibility: Impacted by content labels

The new policy on mature-themed streaming will also exclude this type of content from the recommendations on Twitch's homepage.

What Are The Memes About Twitch's "Artistic Nudity" Policy Update?

The new policy divided opinions on the internet, as it was received as a positive thing among impacted streamers, especially the artists, who celebrated the ability to create art without the fear of being banned from the platform. For some users, however, the update could be interpreted as a loophole to facilitate adult content to be shared on Twitch. For instance, X user @DaBoiHimself69 joked about the policy using the Austin Powers opening credits scene in which the actor appears naked to symbolize what streamers will do after the new sexual content rules update. The post (shown below) amassed more than 262,000 views and 577 retweets in a few hours.

streamers on Twitch after the new "artistic nudity" policy pic.twitter.com/AZbez6fPx9

— Zach Bussey (@zachbussey) December 14, 2023

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For the full history of the Twitch 'artistic nudity' policy update be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entries for more information.