Morgpie, the now-banned Twitch streamer who went viral for popularizing the current ‘topless’ meta taking over the site, opened up with us in an exclusive interview about her suspension and how she feels Twitch’s TOS are to blame for this new trend.
Twitch has been inundated with a variety of different ‘metas’ over the years. From hot tub streams to body painting and more, it’s not unusual to see creators hop on certain trends that appear to skirt the site’s guidelines on nudity and sexual content.
While Twitch attempted to remedy the issue with hot tub streams by creating an entirely new category for such broadcasts, another ‘meta’ has emerged on the website that’s sparking outrage across the platform.
On December 8, Twitch streamer ‘Morgpie’ went viral for seemingly streaming while topless, with her camera frame cutting off just above her decolletage.
The broadcast sparked backlash across social media, stirring up a conversation on the ethics of streaming such content on Twitch as well as the site’s stance on banning streamers who take these broadcasts ‘too far.’
Three days later, Morgpie was finally banned. We spoke with the streamer about her viral broadcast, the ethics of this new ‘topless’ meta, and why she thinks Twitch is to blame for the entire ordeal.
Morgpie reveals she’s actually fully clothed in ‘topless’ streams
To start, Morgpie made sure to credit fellow Twitch streamer ‘AsianBunny’ for apparently starting the ‘topless meta,’ saying that she’d seen her broadcasts and followed suit. (It’s worth noting that AsianBunny was also banned from Twitch recently.)
“She was getting crazy views with it, so I decided to try it myself, and I got the most views I’ve ever gotten doing it,” Morgpie told us. “So, I think the numbers kind of talk on Twitch, and whatever gets the most views that’s within TOS.”
Morgpie assured us that she does, in fact, read the site’s terms of service to make sure her content is strictly within Twitch’s guidelines, arguing that there was nothing from her broadcasts that specifically violates them.
“I do read the TOS anytime I try to incorporate anything new into my streams, just to make sure, because I don’t want to get banned. I did get banned. But I think Twitch right now is definitely banning a lot of girls because of this new meta. They kind of want to put a lid on it right now.”
Morgpie said that she only streamed using the ‘topless’ meta for four days before blowing up online — and speculates that Twitch is now taking action against her and other streamers using the meta due to the outrage around such content on social media.
“I think, honestly, a big part of that is due to the outrage,” she continued. “Because we are within TOS. Their TOS are very open-ended. Nobody is breaking the terms of service. Me standing here like this, it’s just my shoulders.”
That’s not all; Morgpie also revealed that she’s actually fully clothed during her ‘topless’ streams, showing us that she was wearing a tube top and jeans. “It’s just the implied nudity that really freaks people out, I guess,” she said.
Morgpie opens up on Twitch ban for viral ‘topless’ stream
Morgpie told us that was banned from Twitch for “sexually suggestive conduct” on December 11 — three days after her ‘topless’ streams went viral online. However, she says that the reasons Twitch gave her had nothing to do with the actual content in her broadcasts.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
According to Morgpie, she was banned for “engaging in lap dances,” “describing a sexual experience in graphic detail for a prolonged time,” and “making explicit gestures toward breasts, buttocks, or genitals on stream.”
While she “can kind of see” their thinking behind the last reason, Morgpie never gave a lap dance during her stream nor described a sexual experience in graphic detail. And while she declined to let us in on the length of her ban, she did tell us that she has a big comeback planned, where she plans on returning to fitness content, but will be slowing down on the ‘topless’ streams for now.
Morgpie argues she didn’t violate Twitch’s TOS
For Twitch’s part, Morgpie claims the site needs to be far more specific in its Terms of Service if they want to avoid content like hers being streamed on its platform. However, she also argues that there’s nothing about Twitch that screams ‘child-friendly,’ noting that broadcasters often play games with sexual themes or even discuss sexual content on a regular basis.
“If they don’t want sexual content on their platform, then they need to outright ban that, but I think it would be very, very difficult for them to do so,” she admitted. “I think there are constantly people on the platform that abuse the very vague terms of service that Twitch has.”
“I think whether I’m doing it, some other girls are doing it, some guys are doing it. Twitch, they don’t want sexual content. I think a part of the TOS does list that certain, sexually explicit content isn’t allowed. But people stream sex in video games all the time. And people do have sexual discussions on the platform constantly, men and women.”
Morgpie says she’s taking every precaution she possibly can — but she and other streamers are going to chase what brings them success. Morgpie even made specific mention of Amouranth, who gained viral fame for her divisive hot tub streams back in 2020 – 2021.
“People have been trying to find ways to poke holes in the Terms of Service for a decade on Twitch. You know, that’s why Amouranth is as wealthy as she is. People see that and they see the success that can be made from doing things like what Amouranth did with the hot tub streams. Twitch will find ways to include this kind of content on their platform, you can watch, or you don’t have to watch, but ultimately it is allowed.”
"I probably won't be doing the 'topless' stuff until I see what the platform does ultimately…it looks like the topless meta is still happening on Twitch" pic.twitter.com/WcTmYzU6Y0
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) December 13, 2023
“They allow sexual content, but at the same time they don’t,” Morgpie said. “And I think that with the vagueness of the TOS, people are going to find loopholes regardless, because they do allow sexual content and sexual themes on the site.”
Morgpie addresses backlash over ‘topless’ Twitch streams
She also addressed the backlash against both herself and content like the ‘topless’ meta on social media, noting that a large part of the argument against such streams revolves around protecting children on Twitch.
“I just wanted to say, my streams are always labeled 18 plus. You know, I’m taking every step I possibly can there. I love Twitch as a platform and that’s the reason why I’m there and not somewhere else. Over 70 percent of [Twitch’s viewer base] is over the age of 18. So, for the people who are saying that Twitch is predominantly underage, teenage people, it’s just not true.
“Even Twitch says that over 70% of their platform is used by people 18 to 34, so Twitch is not a place for kids. There is sexual content and inappropriate content rampant on the platform, aside from what women are doing on there and I think people just need to be more consistent about that.”
Ultimately, Morgpie believes it is parents’ responsibility to monitor their kids’ online activity.
“Kids and teens will find ways to get to 18+ content, so either Twitch needs to ban all mature content, or make it more apparent that Twitch is for adults,” she said. “Twitter also has an age limit of 13 years, however, hardcore adult content is prevalent and even promoted heavily there. I think this topic is severely nuanced, but personally, I think children should not be allowed on the internet where adults also share the space.”