Why we still have to blur this image in 2025

A hundred real chests from 100 real women, yet censorship laws prevent it from being shared online. So, why are we still so afraid of bodies?

It shouldn’t be a radical act for people to see their bodies as they are – naked, unfiltered, and uncensored – on social media.

Yet, in 2025, Australia’s most “provocative” body-positivity campaign still can’t be shown in mainstream media without blurring or pixelation.

Chloe De Winter, co-founder of the Australian intimates label Nala, says her brand’s Fit Guide 2.0 is “part size guide, part protest”.

It all started in 2022 with the brand’s original Fit Guide, which featured 35 bare chests to help women and gender-diverse people see themselves represented when shopping for bras.

It was groundbreaking at the time, but Ms De Winter was eager to push for even greater representation.

“Thirty-five real naked bodies is good, but it wasn’t enough and it didn’t truly reflect the diversity of our customers,” she told news.com.au.

“Since launching, we have added over 30 sizes to our range and now offer more than 80 sizes. Our customers would slide into our inbox and tell us they didn’t feel seen.”

So, this week, Nala launched Fit Guide 2.0 – a digital “library” of 100 real chests featuring volunteer models spanning AA to K cup.

It includes unedited photos of trans and gender-fluid bodies, mastectomies, breastfeeding and pregnancy chests, unique nipples and size variations, augmentations, reductions, and more, many of which mainstream lingerie brands often overlook.

Nala's Fit Guide 2.0 campaign went live this week. Picture: Supplied

“For the first time, you can scroll through 100 real naked bodies and find a chest and boobs that look like yours,” Ms De Winter says proudly.

“Then you can see that body (the one that’s just like yours) in Nala bras that are designed specifically for your body type.”

Around 80 per cent of people wear the wrong bra size, as traditional tools for finding the right fit are often confusing, outdated, and rarely inclusive.

Ms De Winter hopes this new experience will change the game by focusing on representation and real-life context, rather than just typical measurement-only methods.

It shows 100 real, unedited bodies. Picture: Supplied

It’s part shopping tool, part protest, the brand says. Picture: Supplied

Despite the overwhelmingly positive reception from fans, the campaign couldn’t avoid the digital censorship they have become accustomed to throughout their journey.

“Our content being blocked and restricted is just another day at Nala HQ!” she laughs.

“It literally happens every single day. Google blocks our landing pages because of the boobs.

“Last year, we even created a powerful campaign advocating for breast cancer awareness, and Meta took it down.”

Meanwhile, she says they were recently given a “slap on the wrist” by Ad Standards Australia for posting a picture of someone wearing one of their mesh products.

The brand is constantly fighting online censorship rules. Picture: Supplied

“It’s always the same reasons – ‘sexually explicit content’ or ‘adult policy violations’. We’ve even been told by some tech companies to only use photos of small-busted women because big-busted women are more likely to get flagged, even if they’re wearing the same product.”

However, all of this pushback hasn’t led Ms De Winter to consider changing the brand’s marketing approach.

“We created Nala to celebrate the incredibly diverse bodies of our wonderful community and will never shy away from showcasing them,” she insists. “As a co-founder, it would be easier to pivot, but it just wouldn’t sit right with me. Some things are worth the fight.”

Nala actively appeals removal requests, contacts platform representatives, and battles censorship rules on a daily basis, but progress is slow.

But they remain determined to continue challenging these bans, which they believe disproportionately target women and marginalised communities.

Nala hasn’t considered changing its marketing approach. Picture: Supplied

Jaimee Krawitz, CEO and Founder of Hide N Seek, a non-profit organisation dedicated to body positivity, says this campaign couldn’t have come at a better time.

“I see first-hand the impact unrealistic and filtered portrayals of bodies have on young Australians,” she tells news.com.au. “When brands that champion real, unedited bodies are censored, it sends a harmful message that only certain bodies are acceptable or appropriate to be seen.”

Body-positive marketing isn’t just empowering – it’s essential, she emphasises.

“It plays a crucial role in normalising body diversity and fostering healthier relationships with self-image, especially for young people navigating identity, confidence, and mental wellbeing. Censorship of this content, often under vague ‘community guidelines’, perpetuates stigma, shame, and silence, all of which contribute to serious mental health issues like eating disorders.”

Ms Krawitz calls on major platforms to “stop policing authenticity” and instead support it.

“If we want to protect the mental health of Australians, we need to create space for real, honest, and inclusive representations of all bodies,” she says. “Brands promoting these values are not the problem, they’re part of the solution.”

Originally published as Why we still have to blur this image in 2025