Mothers Furious Over Facebook Ban on Breastfeeding Photos
Moms find removal of breastfeeding photos "offensive".
Facebook has sparked off a huge debate and online protest after the removal of photos deemed to have exposed too much of a mother's breast. The social networking site with over 120 million members angered mothers after removing photographs of mothers breastfeeding their children, claiming that the images violate the site's terms.
Facebook added further insult by warning that users who continue to post photos deemed inappropriate may face losing their access to the site.
Facebook will learn the hard way the wrath of angry moms. The "Motrin Moms" incident was apparently never on their radar. Angry protesters claim that Facebook's decision is "offensive".
Barry Schnitt, spokesman for Facebook, said that they take no action over most breastfeeding photos because they fall in line with the site's terms of use, however, others are removed to ensure that the site remains safe and secure for all users, including children:
"Photos containing a fully exposed breast (as defined by showing the nipple or areola) do violate those terms (on obscene, pornographic or sexually explicit material) and may be removed. The photos we act upon are almost exclusively brought to our attention by other users who complain."
Angry mothers have started an online petition called "Hey Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene!", which has caught on in the past week after protesters organized a virtual "nurse-in" on the website, as well as a small demonstration outside the company's office in Palo Alto, California. So far the petition has attracted more than 80,000 names, and over 10,000 comments.
Comments
A LITTLE LESS VISUAL, PLEASE
Why is it that the women who insist on breast-feeding in public are the ones whose breasts you wouldn't want to see under ANY circumstances. It ain't exactly the Sports Illustrated swim suit edition. C'mon, ladies, cover up. Save your full-engorged, blue-veined ugly paps for your nursing baby.
Stupidity
What a sexist and stupid remark.... Go back to mediaeval times, where you belong! Enjoy your life there with the Inquisition, you silly person.
Haha, if I was going to call
Haha, if I was going to call someone stupid, I would spell my words correctly and I wouldn't bring up irrelevant subject matter, such as the medieval inquisition which was a series of religious inquisitions to suppress other religions, which as you can see has nothing to do with sexism.
I would say women who breastfeed in public are selfish because obviously if you are doing something which offends someone else, in this case a large part of society, shouldn't you make an attempt to be less offensive? Or do you belong to the current belief system of "Me First", in which others be damned so you can have your way? That is what it sounds like. Perhaps no one ever taught you to be considerate of others? How sad.
And since we so often use the argument, "It's natural for a woman to breast feed her child.", shouldn't we all be allowed to defecate and urinate anywhere we please? After all, those are natural bodily functions. Perhaps we should also allow people to engage in sexual activities in public places, since it is a natural function a man and a woman must perform to create a child. Or does the logic only apply where you want it to?
With all said and done, I say feel free to show your breasts in public, just don't be offended when people stare, it's natural for men to enjoy breasts. :)
Pot calling the kettle black
Mediaeval and Medieval are both correct forms of spelling the same word
Be careful what you say as it can come back and bite you in the ass
Meanwhile, you can't even
Meanwhile, you can't even bother to use proper punctuation while you scold someone else.
BANG ON
This comment says it all. The women trying to show their breasts are hideous and undesirable, and the women complaining are hideous, undesirable, AND don't have any children, so they have no excuse to expose themselves in public. The people at Facebook can do whatever the hell they want, regardless of whether it's in their terms of agreement or not, since it's their site. The fact that it's in their terms of agreement just goes to show how unwilling people are to actually read things before they agree or sign to them these days.
I love breasts, but this whole controversy just points out how our species will ultimately FAIL. Sex is a natural function too, but apparently that has to be restricted by some arbitrary age limit. Our children are making us look like idiots, because their mothers are trailer park meth queens and we're not allowed to say anything about it.
breastfeeding.
I am a woman and I agree with what you said, 100 % , those women that are doing that are stupid whores just wanting to get attention. I breast fed my kids but did so at home !!! I agree with you whole heartedly. !!
There are breastfeeding
There are breastfeeding groups on Facebook who will insult and pick fights with women who mention that they breastfeed discreetly. So much for the "support" they claim to give eh? Those groups are truly pathetic.
Yes, doesn't everyone
Yes, doesn't everyone understand? If you want to show your breasts in public without regard for how it affects others, you're enlightened.
If you have a problem with it, you're medieval.
This view is sexism at its worst, instigated by the militant leaders of the feminist liberation movement, which hasn't served a necessary or useful purpose for a long time now.
These kinds of arguments and viewpoints need to stop being taken seriously, and need to be shut-down.
The rights of the individual can no longer be seen as exceeding the rights of those the individual affects, if we're going to have any hope of living in peace as a nation, or for that matter, as a world.
The argument of 'I get to do it and you don't get to say anything about it because I'm female', also needs to go away for the same reasons.
Breastfeeding on Facebook
Mothers are obscene but all Violence is OK?
Where did that come from?
Are there Facebook communities dedicated to displaying graphically violent images?
Uh, Is It Your Site or Facebooks?
You don't have a right to post whatever you want on their site. They can set whatever rules they wish, whether you think they're arbitrary or not. Put them on your own site if you want them up. What is this mothers crying more than their infants -- and PROTESTING? Give me a break. This should be the biggest problem they face in their lives. They have babies while millions of women struggle with infertility, and yet we have to watch them breastfeeding or we're somehow violating a "right"? Find me a right to post pictures of your partially exposed breast in the Constitution or anywhere else. Keep in mind, when some sick freak steals these pictures and puts them up on Hot Mothers Breastfeeding Babies Who May Turn Out Hot.com, they'll be out protesting again. I say, "Suck it." Um, wait...
Amen...
It's nice to see that there are still people with common sense. This generation entitlement stuff has really gotten too old. Loved the post and totally agree...
I completely agree! The
I completely agree! The main Facebook breastfeeding photo group pretty much all agree they hate facebook. SO WHY ARE THEY STILL THERE!
It just shows how bored they are in their lives if they hate Facebook and what Facebook believes in yet they stick around to complain some more about it.
Some of the women repost their photos over and over to try to play games with facebook, it's ridiculous.
I joined the group a while ago to chat with ladies who I thought were mature and civilized, but I was wrong. They were all catty, nasty, ognporant women who made contests out of who was the best mom around. It was disgusting.
There is even some odd man there who encourages women to post their pics to his own bare breast website and these ladies are suckers and willingly give him their bare breast photos. Are they nuts??
since when is one female
since when is one female breast "obscene, pornographic or sexually explicit material"?!?
Since the women on those
Since the women on those breastfeeding photo sites feel the need to strike poses while breastfeeding as their photos are taken. No mother nursing her baby makes a show of it and plenty of these women do on facebook. They complain about how in other countries women breastfeed and have no issues from other people. Then they harp about how in America it's a taboo subject. What these breastfeeding mothers fail to realize, is that in other countries mother's don't strike poses and/or use their nursing time to give uncalled for lessons and demonstrations to everyone and anyone who walks by.
Half of these women make up stories about being kicked out of restaurants and stores while breastfeeding in silly scenarios and then the other harpies come along and feed on it making up more false stories.
THAT is what people are annoyed about and reporting on facebook. Honestly, these women on those sites brag about how great a mother they are and then they show off their staged photos with bare breasts and a baby barely attached. There's no need to post a photo where you obviously strike a pose while showing your bare breasts and a tiny baby barely covering anything. And they need to stop calling it art, it's not art, it's just life. Just feed your babies quietly and save the shows for your own homes ladies. Not ALL of us women flash our boobs as you say and you shouldn't either just because you have a baby on them.
Facebook breast feeding photos
Breast feeding is a wonderful thing, my wife does it, but no one wants to look at pictures of women doing it. Facebook did the right thing. Why in the world would you post pictures like that? That should be a personal thing between mother and child.
Breast feeding
I agree. Some things should be done in private, Some things should be done in public. I respect those Mothers who are careful to keep themselves covered while nursing. This is a private thing and should be done in privacy.
"...but no one wants to look
"...but no one wants to look at pictures of women doing it."
Guess again. I want to.
And I can pretty much assure you that means it's obscene (for my purposes, at least).
So I agree with FB on this one. This content should be elsewhere (and I'll find and enjoy it there).
Seriously. These facebook
Seriously. These facebook women complaining are also the same women who fell the need to shove their lactation info down everyone's throats. Wy is it so hard for them to be like every other nursing mother who is quiet about it and just quietly feed their baby and move on. Why does it have to be a big show.
I've seen plenty of nursing mothers in public who quietly nurse while they shop, eat, etc. Then there are the mothers who make a spectacle of it verbally and visually and then get upset when they are told to cover up a little or asked to quiet down a little.
It's the flashy mothers who push it in our faces who need to give it a rest. They act like everyone is against breastfeeding and it's a dying act but that's not true.
These women are seriously disturbed
Facebook is a free service. They are entitled to enforce their terms of service. If these women don't like the terms, they are free to go off and set up their own website.
Facebook is not banning pictures of breast feeding per se. They are banning pictures that show too much breast, according to their explicitly stated paramenters.
No one is preventing these women from breast feeding, or disparaging their right to do so. They can breast feed completely naked if they want, but let them set up their own website and pay and maintain it, rather than demand that Facebook support THEIR views.
Disturbed because they are not ashamed of their bodies???
You are correct. They own it they can do what they want. But if you are implying that no one can object to their decision you are delusional and probably in favor of it. What if they said, "no pictures of women without makeup"? Or no black people. By your logic no-one should say anything because it is owned by them. I agree no one can force them to show what they don't want, but arguing against objection?
Why, Oh Lord, have we turned the nipple into something so profane? My experience leads me to believe that guys who object to breasts... are gay. Nothing against gay people. Let your gay flag fly. But if you don't like breasts, don't look at them.
re :Nothing against gay people
My, for someone so in favor or individual rights, your seem to have some issues.
"My experience leads me to believe that guys who object to breasts... are gay. Nothing against gay people. Let your gay flag fly. But if you don't like breasts, don't look at them."
And if you don't accept the Terms of Service of a free website, don't use it, and don't feel you're entitled to make them adhere to YOUR views.
I agree. Enough with the
I agree. Enough with the breastfeeding photos and big ugly boobs in public places. Plus, Facebook shouldn't have to change just because women THINK others want to see pics of them breastfeeding. Sure, it's a private intimate moment between mother and child, but not for the rest of us.
Obviously
These are mothers who have way too much time on their hands. Hang pictures of your breasts in your own house, not facebook. Want the masses to see your fun bags? Try youporn!
Breasts should be viewed in
Breasts should be viewed in the context of their original and natural purpose, selling beer.
ALSO A STUPID COMMENT.
ALSO A STUPID COMMENT.
Modesty?
Have a little modesty ladies. Childbirth is also a beautiful thing but we don't want to see images of you spread eagle about to pop your kid out either.
Oh there are obnoxious
Oh there are obnoxious groups on that as well; women who feel they need to show explicit vaginal shots of themselves giving birth. It cracks me up how much these snide, obnoxious women claim to hate facebook yet wont leave. go make your own sites to show off your mothering abilities.
There is a major breastfeeding group that is just horrible. They are a clique of *itches who insult and pick on anyone who doesn't agree completely with them on any topic. One woman insults others calling them tw*ts and c*nts when she doesn't agree with them and then when called on it she gets defensive and her hag pals come to her aid and act like fools bullying the person who asks them to watch their language.
The group is proud that they screw with facebook posting photos they know are unacceptable just to see Facebooks reaction and now they are upset because Facebook is removing their photos and about to close the group down.
I really think the admins of the group are lying with the claim that Facebook is about to close them down. they love to poit fingers and get people riled up at Facebook and others. I dont get it, jut leave and make your own site to post bare breast and vagina photos if you want to share your graphic experiences.
This is a joke. The poor
This is a joke. The poor American prude is so easily offended and so naively taken.
I agree
I agree. It is probably the worst thing about the US, my home country. Loose this one knot and the rest will follow.
Both of you are wrong.
Both of you are wrong. Majority of American's have no issues with the act of breastfeeding, it's the mothers who make a show of it that we are tired of. American breastfeeding moms complain and say that in other countries the nursing women there are treated with respect. Well in other countries, nursing moms don't make each nursing session a lesson to force on others, they feed their babies and move on with the day. They don't take 20 minutes to get the breast ready, another 10 to bare it to everyone, and then the 2 hour long act of making sure everyone sees them nursing.
It's American nursing moms pushing it on people and it's annoying now. Not all of us here are against the act, and a lot of us are tired of the lactivists stickign their snobby noses up at others acting like they are better than others.
I met a breastfeeding woman who completely insulted a bottlefeeding mother and then ate crow when she was told that the bottle feeding mother lost both breasts to cancer. It's apparently ok for nursing moms here in the states to take on a holier than thou attitude but heaven forbid people people dont want their free nursing demonstrations and lectures.
talk to the moms posting stuff to play games with facebook
You both should be shaking your heads sadly at the mothers from the US and other countries who make it a point to post the most graphic birth and breastfeeding photos they can knowing Facebook will remove them for graphic nudity. They CHOOSE to do this to be jerks and they have admitted it on many groups on facebook and myspace.
I used to be a BFing mom on some of these groups, but I refuse to be a part of a bunch of pathetic game groups these women join just to get Facebook to remove photos so they can cry and say that FB discriminates.
One of the groups I was in, one woman asked the admins if there was a way they could talk to the mean spirited sarcastic women who cyber bully any mom who doesn't agree with their views and in turn the woman asking others to be nice were picked on horribly and then kicked out of the group. What is the point of playig games with facebook and being nasty to others and then crying foul when their disgusting "support" group is looked into by facebook by many who have been attacked and bullied by bored housewives.
This is the stupidest thing
This is the stupidest thing I have heard in a long time...people starving, getting their homes bombed, dying of disease and starvation and these women want to fight over their "right to show breasts"??? I mean seriously, where do these people come from??
They only wish...
They only wish the Internet was developed during their youthful years... When they could get out of a car, no panties, and everything in plain sight, and feeling good about it. Now they must hide behind their little babies to get this fulfillment... ??? Well, just another angle...
What hipocrisy!!
I have never seen a more depraved and backward society than this one and Facebook is not helping either. Wonder if the women had posted it under Art, it would be removed? What the heck is wrong with women breast feeding in Public and why should you care if the breast or nipples are exposed? I tell you what, I would like to see one of theose fools walk over to my wife when she is breast feeding and tell her to cover up. Invade my space and see if you would not be tube feeding! But is is quite OK to show two men or two women or two children hugging and kissing? Right? It is fine to show children pumelling each other though. I wonder if they remove the photos of men with their upper torso uncovered? Just search the internet for women in art, women models, women anatomy, and you can imagine if I had put nude pictures in the search. Without even looking, I am willing to bet you have some violent photos displayed on your website! I shall ensure that when my social networking site is completed, ther will be no restrictions of this ludicrous sort.
Silly People
People are offended by pictures of breastfeeding, but totally cool with fat, ugly men wearing no shirts. For some reason, breastfeeding a baby is offensive, but some fat dude's man-teets are not. What absurd decadence our culture displays entertaining such leisure as banning pictures of things they don't like on social networking sites in a fashion so deeply inconsistent as to parody itself as our economic system unravels and violence erupts around the world.
Amen brother!
I really wonder about all the people so hurt by seeing a naked breast. Many men enjoy it at least a little. I guess many men don't like breasts, or only on porn sites.
Why?
Um, so why is it that these women feel they need to put up pictures of breast feeding their children? Is it exciting for them? Who really wants to see that? Honestly, what is the point? Can a company draw the lines anymore on what they wish to allow being done in their name or through the use of their service? A free service if I am not mistaken. Not to mention that such a thing already violates posted terms of service which one agrees to follow in exchange for the ability to use the service. So go ahead ladies, get angry. Your the ones breaking the deal.
Some of these photos may not
Some of these photos may not show nipple, which is a facebook nono, but a lot of these breastfeeding photos are ridiculous shots of mothers striking "motherly" photos while giving sultry looks into the camera. There are some pretty tasteless photos, like one of a mother with a shirt barely on, both breasts exposed, two 6 year olds latched on nursing and she has no pants or underwear on. She claimed that her underwear was on but she had on tiny shorts because of recently giving birth and being sore, and her kid was in an angle that made it look like she was nude.
Is it too hard to at least use common sense when uploading a photo? A lot of breastfeeding photos ARE allowed and they are usually the photos where it's obvious the mother is not acting for the camera.
Please, save the sexy lactation/nursing shots for your significant other's please. Don't pose like a tramp with a baby attached, call it art, and then threaten to ruin facebook because people find the photo trashy and tasteless.
Big Brown
Taking a poop is also a very natural and beautiful act.
Why would anyone want to
Why would anyone want to post breast feeding pictures? It is as if they are proud of this as it is supposed to be some kind of accomplishment. Breast feeding has been going on for as long as Humans (and other mamals have existed) it is no more an accomplishment to be proud of as any other body function is.
Children can still be breast fed without posting it to the internet. In fact many things can be done without posting to the internet.
If you have no clue, keep your mouth shut
I agree that posting pictures for the world to see is overboard. As a mother of two beautiful girls, I exclusively breastfed them both for a year and have my own pictures of nursing them that I keep to myself. I want to be able to remember and look back on that time with them because IT WAS AN ACCOMPLISHMENT! What kind of insensitive, uninformed idiot do you have to be to say something so ignorant as breastfeeding not being something to be proud of and have a sense of accomplishment. Obviously coming from someone who either has never done it or been around anyone that has succeeded with it. It is such a difficult thing to do that of the 75% of women that begin nursing their babies at birth, only 18% are still doing it 3 months later. Any woman that can breastfeed her child for any length of time should be extremely proud of her accomplishment. Do we want to see the pictures? No. But people do not need to make ignorant comments such as the one above.
I'm glad to see the majority
I'm glad to see the majority of comments here are in agreement with the Facebook decision. It is their site, their terms of agreement (which all these mothers have signed), and unless there is some fundamental civil right mothers have to *force* a free service to broadcast photos of their nipples and areola (and I've not yet heard of any such right), then Facebook is well within bounds. These mothers may be a little too self-focused - they seem to have forgotten the main reason for their discussion board in the first place - simply to post informative photos and talk with other mothers about breast-feeding. Now they are insisting their online discussion is pointless unless the universe is able to see their nipples. This really doesnt make much sense to me. And the comment above about "Hot Mothers Breastfeeding Babies Who May Turn Out Hot.com" may sound silly but is actually very astute and a realistic consideration.
It's not obscene to show
It's not obscene to show breastfeeding, but it is tacky. We get that you can breastfeed and breed and all that. It's not magical or special, it's indulgent and when flagrantly displayed, it's tacky.
Really?!
Hmm, so a woman is ok if you look at her breast feeding. But when a women wears a low cut top and you look, you are a pig? Come on people.
hypocrits
I bet these moms who want to show their boobs on facebook are the same people who cried when Janet Jackson's boob was seen for a split second on TV.
Breast Feeding Pics?
Sexual arousal resulting from pictured lactating breasts for men and some women is completely natural. Those of you who can't deal with it or who deny those feelings are prudes. Your transferring your sexual stimulation's into your religious foolishness.
Initially kids seeing these images accept them as the occurrence of a completely natural event.
Only when the foolish make their claims of offense do kids take on those precepts.
Don't let the door hit you....
If you don't like Facebook's policies, don't use Facebook. You don't own Facebook. You don't pay to use Facebook. You have no right to complain about what a FREE service you openly choose to utilize does with the pictures you SEND them. Get off your high horses ladies, and find something productive to do... like maybe feeding your kids instead of wasting your time (and ours) protesting. Real mothers are too busy for this shit.
Breatfeeding is necessary
Breatfeeding is necessary even when you are in a public place. When you have to pee an you are in public, you still go to a private place because no one wants to see your weiner. If someone around you doesn't want to see it then cover up. If no one around you cares then fine. If they are removing the pictures based on complaints then fine. if you post it an no one says anything then who cares. If you really want the world to see your nips then put it on Flickr where they allow nudity.
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