Diolch for reading. Now get back to arguing on Reddit.
๐ค๐ช๐ป
By The Riff Report Team
Weโd love to tell you weโve been busy curating our finest Steelhouse Festival photo dumps, behind-the-scenes snaps, and front-row madness for Instagram…
But instead, weโve been fighting robots.
Not cool sci-fi Terminator-style robots. Nope. Instagramโs AI moderation bots โ and theyโre having a meltdown over fishnets, thighs, and the occasional hint of cleavage. ๐
๐ธ Whatโs Occurring?
Over the past week, tons of our photo uploads have been flagged, removed, or hidden by Instagramโs AI filters. Why? Because apparently, if youโre a rock fan in a mesh top, fishnet stockings, or God forbid a low-cut vest โ youโre now considered “sexually explicit.”
Thatโs right. In 2025, rock fashion is being censored by robots that canโt tell the difference between an OnlyFans shoot and someone moshing in a Killstar bodysuit at a muddy Welsh mountain festival.
Weโre not exaggerating.
Photos have been flagged for:
- A bit of underboob in a festival crop top
- Stockings + leather skirts = insta-ban apparently
- Someone bending over in the pit (fully clothed!)
- Fishnet tights under denim shorts โ scandalous, init
Meanwhile, actual spam accounts promising โDM for collab ๐โ with AI-generated bums get to post in peace. Go figure.
๐คฌ Rock ‘n’ Roll Is NOT Obscene
Letโs be clear โ this is not about NSFW content. We’re not uploading nudes or dodgy stuff. We’re posting normal gig and festival shots of people rocking out, wearing what they want, living loud.
Itโs 2025. If AI still canโt tell the difference between a festival outfit and adult content, then someone needs to switch it off and on again. Preferably with a boot up the arse.
Instagram moderation is meant to protect users, sure. But over-moderating rock fans for dressing alternative? Thatโs not safety. Thatโs censorship. And itโs bloody annoying.
๐ This Is Why Your Photos Might Be Missing
If youโve been to a recent gig or fest weโve covered โ Steelhouse, Download, Bloodstock, Glasto, whatever โ and youโve noticed fewer crowd shots or fashion photos than usual…
Thatโs not us ignoring your lush looks, cโmon butt โ itโs Instagram being ridiculous.
We try to tag as many of you as we can, credit photographers, and build that proper little rock community feel. But we canโt do that when photos get auto-yeeted into the moderation bin.
Some images are being removed the second we hit post. Others are flagged for appeal and just sit there in Instagram jail until the bots give up or a human notices. Itโs slow, frustrating, and totally unnecessary.
๐ช What We’re Doing About It
At The Riff Report, weโre not just moaning into the void (well, maybe a little bit). We’re already:
- Appealing every flagged photo
- Re-uploading censored images with edits where needed
- Testing new watermark layouts that might trick the AI
- Avoiding triggering captions (for now)
- Reporting the issue via creator support
We’re also considering launching a photo dump gallery right on our site โ no bots, no bans, just rock fashion and mosh pit chaos, exactly how it should be ๐ค
And yes, weโre keeping receipts. Because if this keeps up, weโre doing a “Banned by Instagram: Rock Looks Too Hot for AI” gallery post.
๐ค Rock Fashion Deserves Better
The fishnets stay. The ripped jeans stay. The corsets and combat boots and body glitter and nipple pasties? Oh, they absolutely stay.
This culture isnโt about conforming to some algorithmโs dress code. Itโs about expression, rebellion, sweat, leather, and freedom. Always has been.
So to the Insta bots:
Grow up. Weโve got gigs to cover.
To our followers:
Stick with us โ weโre doing everything we can to keep your photos up, your tags active, and your festival vibes flowing.
And if we miss a shot, send us a DM or tag us directly โ weโll do our best to get it sorted or reposted elsewhere. Tidy.
Until thenโฆ
Keep rocking, keep dressing loud, and never let a robot tell you what to wear.
#WeAreTheRiffReport
#FlaggedForFishnets
#AIThinksWeโreSaucy
#OnlyInWalesMun
