Why Twitch Just Banned This New Emote

Many Twitch streamers have the option to add customized emotes that viewers can use to interact with them on stream and express themselves. However, Twitch has the right to remove any emotes it deems inappropriate, like the infamous PogChamp emote. NymN, a content creator represented by Evolved Talent, had an emote called "booba" as part of his personal set. Well, until yesterday, that is.

Twitch sent the streamer an email to inform him that they removed the emote from his channel for supposedly sexual content. The email explained, "Reason: Disallowed content – Imagery of sexual content or nudity, i.e 'Gasm'-style emotes which contain sexualized torsos or bodily fluids."

Twitch policies sometimes have confusingly thin lines between bannable and acceptable content. For example, as highlighted in the Amouranth controversy, Twitch allows bathing suits but not partial nudity on stream. Some wondered if the sometimes shady platform banned the "booba" emote based solely on the name, which is a memeified misspelling of "boobs." 

However, even if NymN accepted what the email said, it doesn't make much sense, either. The "booba" emote doesn't have the "sexualized torsos" or "bodily fluids" that the email described. Fans did a deep dive into the "booba" meme to get to the bottom of the ban.

NymN's "booba" emote takes inspiration from the popular booba meme, which is an "Awooga! Pepe variation." The NymN version is similar, but not the same. It features a brown face and yellow mustache instead of the typical plain green Pepe face. The frog's suited torso is barely visible.

"Gasm-style" emote doesn't accurately describe the picture, either. Some commenters under NymN's post shared images of more understandably suggestive emotes, which don't look like "booba" at all. The "booba" emote's exaggerated cone-shaped eyes hint at desire, as one would have for an attractive potential partner, but otherwise doesn't indicate anything indecent.

"That has to be a mistake on their end?? Right?" one commenter asked. Unfortunately, fellow commenters weren't so hopeful. "Remember when they banned forsens omegalul emote because it was an 'effigy of the twitch 'LUL' emote?'" another commenter wrote. The "booba" emote is only the latest newsworthy victim of Twitch's hit list. 

Fans don't seem to agree with the Twitch ruling, though it isn't likely to be lifting anytime soon. Twitch reps haven't followed up to clarify why they banned the emote aside from the reason provided in NymN's email. It hasn't reinstated "booba" or responded to the confusion from NymN and his fans, either.