Amouranth Hits Back At Hot Tub Meta Criticism

Amouranth is one of the biggest streamers on Twitch, recently knocking Pokimane out of the top spot on the platform, but her latest comments on Twitch policies have fans divided. Amouranth spoke up about Twitch's recent decision to ban some streamers who film in hot tubs or outdoor pools, ultimately coming out in favor of women getting to film however they please. However, the issue seems a little more complicated than that.

Let's dive into some context first. Earlier this year, Twitch began punishing women who streamed under the "Just Chatting" category while sitting in hot tubs, sparking a debate on Twitch's current policies and practices. Nathan Grayson reported on the debate for Kotaku, and highlighted the problems women face when it comes to the objectification of their bodies. 

Now, Amouranth has given her say on the matter, taking on Twitter to explain how she feels about Twitch's decision to target women who stream within the "hot tub meta." Amouranth specifically addressed the argument that young people shouldn't be exposed to women in bikinis online, saying ,"The 'imagine if a 13 year old did it' litmus test for if it should be allowed on twitch is ridiculous. Hypothetically put a '13 year old streamer' in settings you often find other big streamers in [and] it all feels inappropriate."

Amouranth went on to explain common Twitch scenarios that would be inappropriate for children, including sitting in on adult-rated podcasts and cuddling in bed with a significant other. While these situations might be fine for adults to participate in, people would feel understandably squeamish for a child to take part.

Amouranth also called Twitch's ad sponsors into question, noting that several sponsors also wouldn't be appropriate for 13 year olds. "Tinder dating stream/sponsor? Twitch literally runs Trojan ads, how would [you] feel about one of those as the opening preroll ad for such a streamer?" Amouranth tweeted. Amouranth even called out "GTA" roleplay accounts and streams, saying, "Even in GTA role play you'd have to water it down a ton in certain situations if you knew a 13yo was present." 

Fans were at odds in responding to Amouranth's thread. One responder called hot tub streams "OnlyFans marketing tools," implying that streamers simply use Twitch to direct viewers to more adult platforms. Another fan felt that if Twitch truly wanted to protect young people, it would ban games intended for mature audiences.

Twitch has been under fire recently for a rash of bans targeting young streamers, so its dedication to young audiences seems at odds with its more recent attempts at content enforcement. The conversation about what qualifies as appropriate content, and what sort of platform Twitch aims to be, continues.