I recently wrote about Facebook’s war on nipples, which has extended into the mothering community and has resulted in Facebook users having their accounts closed because they posted pictures of themselves breastfeeding their babies.
The social networking claims breastfeeding photos violate its decency code.
(You can read my earlier post here.)
iReporter Phil Hansen is among the “lactivists” protesting these actions. “I was surprised at the whole idea of removing breastfeeding photos, as a baby breastfeeding would totally cover the nipple and most of the breast,” says Hansen, pragmatically.
Hansen is a Saint Paul, Minnesota-based multimedia artist known for his viral Web videos.
Now, according to a CNN report, Hansen is busting Facebook’s chops with the first video in his new series called “Art Happening”.
In “Facebook’s War on Nipples,” Hansen documented his creation of a self portrait made entirely from pictures of his own nipples. (You can see his artwork work here on CNN.)
He posted the final product to his profile on Facebook.
We can see what happened next in Hansen’s follow-up video. It turns out that Hansen’s profile picture was removed after only two days, and he was notified that he had violated the company’s terms of use.
“I was expecting it to get removed,” says Hansen. “Because if it stayed up, that would mean my face made with nipples was more appropriate than a mother breastfeeding her child, which would just be weird.
CNN did ask Facebook for an official comment about the controversy. A representative e-mailed the following statement:
We agree that breastfeeding is natural and beautiful and we’re very glad to know that it is so important to some mothers to share this experience with others on Facebook. We take no action on the vast majority of breastfeeding photos because they follow the site’s Terms of Use. Photos containing a fully exposed breast (as defined by showing the nipple or areola) do violate those Terms and may be removed. These policies are designed to ensure Facebook remains a safe, secure and trusted environment for all users, including the many children (over the age of 13) who use the site. The photos we act upon are almost exclusively brought to our attention by other users who complain.
“As defined by showing the nipple or areola…” Mother of God. I get that Facebook needs rules, but whatever happened to thinking outside of the box?
We’re living in a day and age when it’s only mildly scandalous for Janet Jackson to show her areola and her nipple, pierced by a big metal bar, on national television during prime time. I can’t believe the Dilberts at Facebook can’t tell the difference between a nursing mom and an obscenity.
Why is it okay for women to use their bodies to entertain others, but not to feed their children?
I don’t think I’m being over-the-top when I say Facebook’s unrelenting ass-pucker is looking pretty darn misogynistic.
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Maybe it’s all the hoopla around Facebook’s puckered attitude about breastfeeding moms, maybe it’s my interest in taking lactation training so I can help new moms nurse successfully… who knows, but I was moved to watch Breasts: A Documentary.
