A 19-year-old American student has accused Instagram of discriminating against plus-sized people after it removed a photo she took of herself in her underwear.

Samm Newman, from Ohio, said she felt like Instagram was a “safe place” where she could post photos of her size 28 body, according to a ninemsn.com.au report.

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Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, deactivated Ms Newman’s account, saying that it violated community guidelines.

The college student accused the site of having double-standards and cracking down on “anyone who doesn’t fit their idea of normal”.

Ms Newman, who was bullied throughout high school, said that she posted the image as part of a body positivity movement on Instagram.

Instagram apologised for the incident, saying that they wrongly removed the content.

“I’m going to make a difference in the world, regardless of whether Instagram cooperates or not,” she said.