Culture

Instagram introduces inclusive new feature allowing users to display their pronouns

By Sam Damshenas

12th May 2021

Instagram has announced an inclusive new feature that allows users to display their preferred pronouns in their bio.

The company announced the new addition to their platform on Twitter, saying it’s “available in a few countries, with plans for more”. As of right now, the feature is available in the United States and the United Kingdom.

If your Instagram has updated to the latest iOS, you can access the new feature by hitting “Edit Profile” and then searching in the list of items from an empty “Pronouns” field. There, you can choose up to four terms for your preferred pronouns.

The pronouns will then appear in your bio in a light grey font next to your name.

According to a press release emailed to Bustle, Instagram recognises 11 different sets of pronouns, from she/her/hers and they/them/theirs to ze/zir/zir and xe/xem/xyr. If your preferred pronouns aren’t available on the app yet, you can submit a pronoun request form here.

The official Twitter account for Instagram Comms wrote: “We’ll continue to update the list of terms over time, so that more people around the world can share their pronouns more easily. If you have suggestions you can drop them here.” 

In recent years, users have been adding their pronouns to their social media bios to help normalise discussions about gender and to show solidary with the transgender and non-binary communities.

Instagram is one of the first major social media platforms to add the feature.

Social media welcomed the inclusive change to their platform.

However, there were some who cautioned others to not pressure Instagram users into displaying their pronouns as “many people are still closeted and cannot publicly state them without risking their safety”.