Oxnard Personal Trainer Banned From Instagram For Being Too Sexy Or Too Pregnant?

OXNARD (CBSLA.com) — Brittany Perille was close to getting a million followers on Instagram, and her online popularity has even turned into a business.

But it was almost all taken away from her after she posted a video of her working out with a bare, pregnant belly.

"This is the first time I actually exposed my belly. And at first, I was very nervous because of body shaming comments of you're fat, or you're too pregnant to be wearing just a sports bra," she said. "But I felt that why should I let this stop me. I want to empower women to love their bodies through pregnancy."

She received both positive and negative comments.

Only six hours after her post went up, she claimed Instagram removed her entire account and sent her a message telling her that she violated the guidelines for nudity.

"I was very devastated because this account is not just for fun for me, it's not entertainment. It has become my brand, my business," the trainer added. "If I don't have a following and I'm not able to advertise their supplement company, I have no paycheck."

Perille said her posts never contained nudity, though she did wear skimpy workout clothes in some of her exercise videos.

The trainer said she has been posting those videos for two years with no problem.

The only thing that changed recently is showing her bare baby bump. "I really think that's what triggered it," she said.

Perille said Instagram did not respond to any of her emails until five days later after she got media attention. Now, her account is back online.

"I received a notification, saying they are sorry for the inconvenience and my Instagram is now restored. I would really like for them to explain to me exactly why my account was deleted," she asked.

But Perille said she was glad to be back online, gaining more followers and proudly showing off her body.

"I'm going to continue to post my videos whether I have a six-month pregnant belly or a six-pack," she insisted.

In response to CBS2/KCAL9's Erica Nochlin's request for comment, Instagram said later the post did not break its community guidelines.

"We mistakenly removed the account and we apologize to Ms. Perille for the error. We worked to rectify the mistake as soon as we were notified and have already taken steps to prevent this from happening in the future," Instagram said in a statement.