A buddy of mine did some UX work for Hornet, the gay social network. Having no idea that such a network existed, I checked out their website and became immediately fascinated with their documented guidelines around images uploaded to the platform. The specificity here is unreal.
- A partial nude ass shot (full nude ass shot is a serious violation).
- Photos that aren't you (celebs, your ex, that guy you hate, your mother-in-law etc).
- Genitals covered up by a towel, hat, tea cup, thimble, bed sheet, emoji, your hand, etc.
- Grabbing/holding or touching genitals or genital area. That includes through your shorts.
- Erection or outline of genitals through clothing. This is a subjective one. We allow a 'genital bulge'. But, if the outline shows the shape of the penis and testicles, then it will be rejected. This can be affected by how tight the clothing is and/or how big a boy you are.
- Sex toys or props.
- Pubic hair or the area of the groin where pubic hair normally grows.
- Photos with underpants visible.
- Photos of any obscene gestures and/or lewd behavior. (Flippin' the bird, the finger etc)
- Illegal drug use or drug paraphernalia (if it looks dodgy, it's a no-no, such as a 'roll-up' cigarette). Also includes drug use in a State or Country where it may be legal.
- Depictions of underage drinking (as we aren't Interpol and don't know the legal age for drinking in each country, anyone who looks young will have the photo rejected).
- Drawings, painting, cartoons, artwork or overly stylized photographs
- Image used to advertise services, goods, events, websites or apps (your profile may be suspended for being commercial).
- Copyrighted or photographer marked images or illustrations
- No profanity or curse words on a photo. Includes holding up paper with curse words written on it.
- Photo of just the crotch: front, side, back, pixelated, clothed, whatever. This would include a photo taken from the waist down. Just because your legs are in it does not mean it isn't a crotch shot. If the main focus is of the crotch, it's not allowed. As a general guide, if your head is not in the photo, then it is more likely to be considered a crotch shot.
- Extreme close-up photos, photos where it is unclear what the photo is of. This includes single color photos.
- Photos with only, or mainly, text. As a general rule, one word or one line of text superimposed on a photo is acceptable (unless the font is large and dominates the photo). 2 or 3 lines of text will likely result in a photo being rejected.
- Photos which are gross, disgusting, nasty, yucky, terrible, abhorrent, repugnant. For example, a person vomiting, or a photo of vomit.
What I would give to be a fly-on-the-wall in the internal meetings that it inevitably took to document these rules.