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04/20/2024 12:38:09 am

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Chelsea Handler Quits Instagram Over Banned Topless Photo Parodying Vladimir Putin’s

Chelsea Handler bid Instagram goodbye Friday following repeated attempts to post a completely topless photo that parodies the famous shot of bare-chested Russian President Vladimir Putin on horseback.

"Anything a man can do, a woman has the right to do better. #kremlin," the "Chelsea Lately" host argued. Apparently, it was not so.

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Instagram took down the photo on Thursday, but Twitter preserved the link that provided the now infamous caption. 

The sharp-tongued comedienne took to Twitter denouncing Instagram's censorship as "sexist."

Reposting her photo-in which her nipples dangle freely-on the micro-blogging site, she said she has every right to prove she has a better body than the Russian president.

Her tactics failed to work though, after Instagram took the photo down a second time, sparking a war of words.

The Instagram police sent her a message shortly after citing violation of the community's guidelines, which threaten to close down accounts posting nude or mature contents.

The 39-year-old comedienne mocked the notification and shared a screengrab of Instagram's message with a caption calling the site's content policy outdated and sexist.

She attempted to share the photo claiming that if it were removed for the third time, Putin would have more 1st amendment rights than she does.

No such luck.

By Friday, Handler decided her Instagram days were over and subsequently posted a farewell message captioning a photo of her adorable dogs.

She invited her followers to check out her pups-and her breasts-on Twitter where she said people are freer to say whatever pleases them.

Handler is not the first celebrity to protest Instagram's nudity policy. In May, the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, Scout Willis, addressed the topic of women going topless on social networking sites. And so did Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and Cara DeLevingne-all of whom are rallying support behind the "Free the Nipple" campaign.

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