Facebook Deletes Breastfeeding Photo that Has Nothing to Do with Breastfeeding

the feminist breeder bacon breastfeeding
the feminist breeder bacon breastfeeding

When I saw this photo on The Feminist Breeder's Facebook page with TFB Gina Crosley-Corcoran's comment, "And now you've seen everything, Jolene swiped bacon off my plate and tried to nurse and eat at the same time. When I got bit, I told her she had to choose. She chose bacon", I liked it. If there was a "love" button, I would have loved it. I'm in tune with much of what Gina writes on her blog and Facebook page, and even if I wasn't a natural parenting type who breastfeeds and gets excited when Ina May Gaskin makes a movie, I'm certain I would have giggled at this photo. Sweet baby girl chooses bacon over mama's milk. Hilarious. But one of TFB's readers didn't think so. A mom I'll just call Liz commented, "I never liked the photo, I reported the photo. And those are the kids that end up growing to be sex offenders."

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ALL RIGHTY, Liz. You just took it one step too far.

It's one thing to not like the photo. Maybe this woman has some sort of weird breastfeeding hang-up and finds it repulsive and that is very unfortunate for her. But to report it AND MOST HEINOUSLY say children who are breastfed grow up to be sex offenders just shows how completely off her rocker she is.

You'll never believe what happened next in this story. Facebook deleted the photo, and suspended The Feminist Breeder Facebook page for three days. Breastfeeding photos are supposed to be allowed as long as there isn't any nipple exposed. No nipple can be seen in Gina's photo. All I see is her adorable 18-month-old daughter Jolene nom nom noming on some bacon. Sure, there is a part of Gina's breast there. But I see more cleavage when trolling the Facebook pages of single 20-somethings. (I really don't do that, I swear.) And, I repeat, there is no nipple.

Did Facebook delete it just because someone reported it? What is the protocol for them removing an image? I ask because this one just doesn't break their rules. Maybe it was a vegan Facebook worker who was offended by the bacon?

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Facebook likes to delete breastfeeding images -- even fake ones of crochet hats that look like breasts or little kids pretending to breastfeed. Sadly, when they do this, they perpetuate the false claim that breastfeeding is obscene. Even still, I can respect that some people don't want to see certain photos because there are plenty of photos I would rather not see that people post. But things we personally don't want to see are everywhere and we have this incredible power to look away. Which is what Liz should have done. Liz shouldn't have even been a fan of The Feminist Breeder to begin with, which makes this whole thing even more absurd. It's like she purposefully liked a page that is the opposite of her beliefs (with the thought she not only hates breastfeeding and thinks it makes kids become sex offenders, but she's also offended by bacon ... and probably feminism). And I can't help but question Facebook for the deletion of the photo and the suspension of the page for no concrete reason.

If you agree with me, let's get the word out and share this -- Gina wants us to. This is just wrong. Let's roar loudly so Facebook hears and makes some very needed changes and not just removes a photo because someone reported it ... for no good reason, and that doesn't even violate any rules.

Do you think Facebook has some explaining to do? You don't see anything obscene in this image, right?

Image via The Feminist Breeder


Written by Michele Zipp on CafeMom's blog, The Stir.

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