After a content creator is banned from Twitch in the middle of a body painting stream, a form of cosplay, many users are criticizing the platform in the wake of its ongoing hot tub controversy.
The hot tub meta on Twitch has sparked a heated debate in the community, not only among viewers but among the content creators, as well. Hot tub streams exploit a loophole in Twitch's guidelines that allow swimwear to be worn in settings where it would be appropriate, such as beaches or hot tubs. However, streamers saw this and began using it to make suggestive content on the platform. At the core of the controversy are two major issues: attitudes toward female bodies online, and Twitch's ambiguous rules pertaining to them. It would seem that both play a part in KK Sparkle's recent ban.
KK Sparkles regularly performs body painting on stream, in which she paints her entire body to mimic the costume of a character, often from video games or pop culture fandoms, such as Mortal Kombat's Scorpion and Pokemon's Nurse Joy. During streams, inappropriate body parts are covered with costume pieces such as pasties in order to follow Twitch's guidelines.
Yesterday, KK Sparkles was banned for a day during her May the 4th Be With You stream, in which she was painting a C3P0 costume onto herself, and many were quick to point out the double standard between KK Sparkles' case and the slew of hot tub streams allowed on the site. Though KK Sparkles' content isn't suggestive or sexual in nature, the Twitch ban accuses her of inappropriate body art.
KK Sparkles and her community feel that this takedown was wrongful, especially in light of the many sexual hot tub streams present on Twitch's site.