VTubers were left confused and angered after Twitch pointed out that its attire policy also applies to digital streamers, saying their hips must be covered as part of these rules.
The Vtubing community took notice of this on October 7 after the platform implemented its new Enforcement Notes feature, which acts as “additional clarifications and examples” within its Community Guidelines to get ahead of any new metas that break these rules.
After learning of this, many VTubers spoke out against the policy, arguing that they’d have to commission new models — a pricey and time-consuming venture for streamers whose existing avatars don’t meet the site’s newer guidelines.
Some even accused Twitch of “hating” them, with one lashing out after receiving a sexual content warning due to her avatar wearing a pajama onesie with some cleavage showing.
We spoke with Twitch to get clarification on its attire policy in the wake of this recent criticism… and they said they simply want their rules to be “as easy to follow as possible.”
Twitch has now confirmed that vtuber hips MUST be covered.I can think of many vtubers who don’t have theirs fully covered, me included. The issue is commissioning new outfits to meet ever changing guidelines is expensive and time consuming. Be aware of this clarified rule! pic.twitter.com/A27EoGNfsA
— 🦋 Leahkitties 🦋 (@leahkitties) October 7, 2024
“By sharing this additional information, our goal is to make it clear where our enforcement lines are and to take out the guesswork for our community,” Twitch said of its new Enforcement Notes feature.
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“We do want to clarify that we haven’t changed any of our Community Guidelines – we just shared more examples of what behaviors violate our rules, so that those rules are easier to follow, and ideally, less likely to trip people up,” they added.
Twitch went on to state that its attire policy is “equally applicable to human streamers and VTubers” alike, although they didn’t confirm if this applies to swimwear or pools and beach environments.
However, Twitch’s Community Guidelines do state that “swimwear, short shorts, and bodysuits are permitted as long as they completely cover the genitals,” meaning that VTubers should be okay to stream with exposed hips in such clothing.
Above all else, Twitch emphasized the importance of the VTubing community on its platform and said they welcome the feedback regarding Enforcement Notes.
“We want to get this right and appreciate all the feedback, as VTubers are and will always be a really valued part of the Twitch community,” they said.
