No Nipple! Facebook Deletes More Pregnancy Photos
Facebook has arbitrarily deleted more breastfeeding photos. You know America can't take it when breasts are viewed in their primary, non-sexual role.
America wants balloon boobs! Bring on the freakishly gigantic, in-your-face Pamela Anderson knockers! Pay Carmen Electra more money for a calendar featuring her enormous rack! Let us create more sad stories like Heidi Montag, classic victim of boob-mania.
But boobs that are functioning the way the good lord intended? Obscene!
The photo was posted on Earth Mama Angel Baby's Facebook page. Here's what it has to say about discovering Facebook's rejection of a breastfeeding mama:
"One, but not both, of the breastfeeding pictures on the photo strip had been deleted. Gone. Kaput. Huh? Why that one? This can't be right, right? There were two breastfeeding photos in the photo strip, so that can't be the reason it was removed. And Facebook has publicly stated it is not 'cracking down' on breastfeeding photos."
It's worth a click over to Mama's Herb Garden website where she speculates on why Facebook deleted one breastfeeding photo and not the other. It's an example of how arbitrarily Facebook wields the delete button. Remember, someone has to flag the photos for them to be brought to Facebook's attention. So does Facebook even look at flagged photos before deleting them? Because if breastfeeding photos are inappropriate then what about the millions of girls (many underage) posting naughty photos of themselves posing in their bedrooms?
Related: Pregnant ladies: Is 34 weeks the new 36 weeks?
This controversy has been brewing as far back as 2007. Facebook initially claimed that breastfeeding photos violated its terms of service if they showed "an entire breast." Eventually it dropped the vague "entire breast" description and claimed that all photos with a visible nipple or areola were "obscene," "pornographic," or "sexually explicit."
As far I can tell, eliminating breastfeeding photos showing nipple flies directly in the face of actual laws supporting breastfeeding in public places throughout the United States, exposed breast or not. Additionally, the policy clearly implies that visible nipples or areolas always make photos of women obscene. Facebook is such a huge phenomenon, and for it to stigmatize breastfeeding and demean women is a huge blow to breastfeeding and America's generally puritanical attitude about such things.
The Facebook breastfeeding photo policy is not sitting well with hundreds of thousands of others, many of whom have expressed their outrage by joining a Facebook group called "Hey, Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene!" To date, there are nearly 260,000 members.
Agreed. Grow up, Facebook! If you're going to delete photos of nearly naked boobs why don't you start hitting up the underage crowd who routinely post naughty "self-portrait" pics instead of just randomly following your nipple rule. And why just women's nipples? If we're on a nipple witch hunt then you may as well be an equal opportunity nipple-deleter -- I've seen some pretty pornographic-looking man nipples.
For more info and to see the pictures Facebook deleted so far, visit Babble.
MORE ON BABBLE:
10 things we're looking forward to after pregnancy
Room to breathe: 6 great sandals for achy feet
10 things you really need in your first postpartum week
5 things my wife found endearing ... before she was pregnant
The top 10 pregnancy superfoods
Stay connected. Follow Being Pregnant on Facebook and Twitter