Elon Musk Sparks Backlash After Saying “Instagram Is For Girls”

The X owner’s remarks mocking men who share Instagram profiles triggered criticism online, reigniting debates around gender stereotypes, platform rivalry, and social media culture

Elon Musk has once again found himself at the centre of an online controversy after calling Instagram “for girls” and mocking men who share their Instagram profiles with him.

The comments were made on X while Musk was responding to a viral discussion about social media behaviour and how different platforms reflect different “phases” of online life. Jumping into the thread, Musk wrote, “Instagram is for girls,” before later adding another comment aimed at men who send him their Instagram profiles.

His follow-up remark, where he questioned whether men sharing Instagram profiles were “transitioning” quickly drew criticism across social media, with several users accusing the billionaire of sexism and anti-trans rhetoric. The conversation rapidly spread beyond X, with screenshots and reposts circulating across platforms including Instagram, Reddit, and Facebook.

The backlash also reignited larger conversations around Musk’s public persona and his long-running rivalry with Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook. Musk has repeatedly criticised Meta-owned platforms while positioning X as a more “serious” space for public discourse, news, and open conversations.

At the same time, supporters of Musk defended the remarks as sarcasm or internet humour, something the Tesla and SpaceX CEO is widely known for on X. However, the comments continued to divide opinion online, especially because they arrived amid ongoing scrutiny around online speech, platform culture, and Musk’s increasingly provocative social media presence.