The streaming platform Twitch has banned the controversial streamer Jenelle “Indiefoxx” Dagres (26): The curious thing is that this is her 6th ban alone in 2021. After the sixth ban in such a short time, many are wondering why Indiefoxx is not permanently banned. A Twitter user accuses her of ruining Twitch for “all women.”
This is the situation:
- The streamer Indiefoxx has been on Twitch since 2017, but until recently had only a few hundred viewers on average. It was only in December 2020 that her star began to rise on Twitch. Starting in March 2021, she regularly reached several thousand viewers: Indiefoxx was a pioneer on Twitch for “Hot Tub” streams. Female streamers get into a hot tub for these streams and stream in bikinis.
- The streamer has been banned 6 times in the last 6 months for violating Twitch rules. Most recently, she received a “3-day ban” for focusing her butt on the camera during “ASMR” streams. This is prohibited.
- However, all these bans seem to have no effect. Just a few days after she is allowed to stream again, Indiefoxx was banned again. There is now discussion about how long Twitch will allow her to continue with this behavior.
What kind of ban is this? The exact reasons and duration of the new ban are not known. Neither Indiefoxx nor Twitch has commented on the ban.
Since Indiefoxx is still retaining her partner status at Twitch, it is assumed that the 6th ban will also be “temporary.”
5 bans from Twitch show no effect
Why is this causing such a big discussion? The special thing about Indiefoxx’s ban is that it is her sixth ban in 2021. A user posted on Twitter how often she has already been banned (via twitter):
- On January 28 for 3 days
- On February 1 for 3 days
- On February 23 for one day
- On April 7 for 3 days
- On June 22 for 3 days – That was the ASMR ban
- The new ban followed on June 29
The crux of the discussion is that such “short bans for sexual behavior” apparently show no effect because the streamer continues her behavior and the ban brings no lasting negative consequences for her.
Streamer Alinity says: Punishment for “sexual behavior” on Twitch is too lenient – like a vacation
The streamer Alinity explains from her own experience that such a ban for “sexually suggestive behavior” has no impact on streamers: The additional advertising and attention that one receives from a ban easily compensates for the income loss of a 3-day ban.
A 3-day ban from Twitch is simply a “nice vacation and free advertising during the break, with even more advertising when you come back.”
Alinity was banned from Twitch for one day in April 2020 for accidentally showing her breast.
This is how it is discussed: The renewed ban of Indiefoxx is hotly debated on Twitter:
- A user says: “Twitch do the right thing and completely remove Indiefoxx’s toxic streams from the site. She has single-handedly destroyed Twitch for all women. She has damaged the platform for all female streamers.”
- Another user quips: “She’s on a speedrun for 10 Twitch bans in a year.”
- A third user asks: “Don’t 3 bans automatically lead to a perma-ban?”
Why is she supposed to ruin Twitch for all women? The accusation is that streamers like Indiefoxx rely on nudity and sexual innuendos. This is supposed to attract viewers to Twitch who then expect female gaming streamers to behave similarly, to flirt and chat with viewers.
This leads to irritation and strange situations for other female streamers who suddenly face people who expect them to share their private lives or flirt with viewers in chat.
The streamer negaoryx once demonstrated in a stream how to deal with viewers who ask: “What color is your thong?”
The streamer Amouranth, who has also been accused of such behavior, denies the allegation however: Blaming women for attracting creepy guys on Twitch is like blaming violent video games for causing more crime.
The problems that behavior causes
This is why the ban is discussed so much: The topic of “bans for sexually suggestive behavior” has been a dominant theme on Twitch for several months. It concerns many streamers and viewers: While the Twitch platform has specialized in “gaming” in recent years, it actually seeks to open up to other directions as well. However, streams that entertain with explicitly sexual content create discomfort among the major gaming streamers. Additionally, Twitch’s ban policy is a controversial topic:
- For many Twitch viewers and streamers, it is a sign of unfair treatment: If one is afraid of a perma-ban but other streamers reportedly get away with repeated violations of the same rules, one feels treated unfairly.
- On the other hand, other streamers accuse women in “Hot Tub” streams of attracting a difficult audience on Twitch, who expect other female streamers to behave sexually suggestively.
- Moreover, streamers like Indiefoxx are accused of jeopardizing the future of all streamers on Twitch: There is fear that Twitch could earn a “bad reputation” and scare away advertising partners.
Update 1.7. 2021, 12:09 PM: Several days after Indiefoxx’s 6th ban, the news has taken a new turn. Apparently, the 6th ban now has serious consequences for the streamer:
Twitch gives in, revokes streamer’s partnership after 6th ban
