Facebook Breastfeeding Dispute

[toasty]

Have you heard about this? Facebook has been taking down pictures of women breastfeeding on the basis that it violates its no-nudity policy, and the women have revolted, starting a group called, “Hey Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene.” This could be the silliest dispute I've ever heard.

I guess Facebook's position is that they have a no-nudity policy and regardless of the reason for the nudity, if you can see a nipple, it's got to come down. I should note that Facebook is not actively searching out these photos -- just taking them down when others flag them -- and is not removing breastfeeding photos where you can't see the nipple.

Time and place, IMO. If you want to breastfeed, so be it. If you want to breastfeed and insist that it be captured on film, that's your prerogative as well. The idea that you should be entitled to showcase photos of yourself breastfeeding on a social networking site that has nothing to do with breastfeeding at all, though, is just absurd.

One of the reasons the group has given for being upset at the policy is that it eliminates an educational tool. This is preposterous. Facebook is not a medical site or even a parenting site, and if you're going there to learn about breastfeeding, perhaps your child isn't destined for great things.

We're actually pretty close to having our first daughter, and my wife and I have both been struck by this militant strain of breastfeeders that have developed. Maybe it's just that I'm sorta in the thick of it now, but I don't recall a woman's right to whip out a boob wherever she may be being so hotly contested up until fairly recently. Our doula was very adamant about this idea that you should feed in restaurants, malls, parks, wherever you may be, and you should not wear any sort of cover or anything. She even gave everyone in the class a little card to carry around declaring your legal right to breastfeed wherever you damn well please.

OK, so maybe you have the right to, but why would you want to, and why would it be important to show the world while you're doing it?

[Shiva]

Re: Facebook Breastfeeding Dispute

Regardless of what women feel like doing with their body, show their nipples/breastfeeding/nudity etc etc... everyone is free to express himself the way he sees it fit.

Personally, I couldn't wait to slash some pix of mine on facebook (which would have been disastrous for their server lol), but then it go it me thinking that there are many young people and children members of facebook, so the place didn't seem very appropriate to me to do that.

So I chose the nastiest and loveliest place to do that:

MERCURYSERVER

[Dhar_2]

Re: Facebook Breastfeeding Dispute

^ more nude pics please!

[toasty]

Re: Facebook Breastfeeding Dispute

Regardless of what women feel like doing with their body, show their nipples/breastfeeding/nudity etc etc... everyone is free to express himself the way he sees it fit.

Personally, I couldn't wait to slash some pix of mine on facebook (which would have been disastrous for their server lol), but then it go it me thinking that there are many young people and children members of facebook, so the place didn't seem very appropriate to me to do that.

So I chose the nastiest and loveliest place to do that:

MERCURYSERVER

First of all, I think I speak for most everyone when I say that you can feel free to keep posting pictures of yourself here to your heart's content.

For me, it's really a question of having control over your own site. Facebook has a rule that prohibits posting pictures that include nudity and, as a private company, it is 100% within its rights to have that policy and project whatever image they want to their members (and advertising clients). A picture of a breast that would otherwise violate the rules does not lose that character because there happens to be a child suckling on it. If women want to post pictures of themselves breastfeeding, they can start their own sites devoted to that topic and post away (which incidentally might be a better source of actual information for prospective mothers than, uh, Facebook). My biggest problem with this whole flap is telling a private entity that they have to accept a pic that would otherwise be in violation of their policy because it happens to depict breastfeeding or anything else that the poster would like to promote.

There are plenty of other non-salacious examples of nudity that are nevertheless in violation of the rules -- not really fair to put Facebook in the position of having to moderate what is art vs porn, what is offensive vs beautiful. Apparently, they developed that policy in part to have to avoid making those kind of calls.

[Haziel]

Re: Facebook Breastfeeding Dispute

how about public breast feeding , i see that every day In Mexico, USA , Peru and all those countries have this law that public nudity is immoral.

and how about man tits are those immoral too??

[Shiva]

Re: Facebook Breastfeeding Dispute

how about public breast feeding , i see that every day In Mexico, USA , Peru and all those countries have this law that public nudity is immoral.

and how about man tits are those immoral too??

^ Do they produce?

[Haziel]

Re: Facebook Breastfeeding Dispute

^ Do they produce?

what do you mean produce? produce what???

shame on you shiva

[thesightless]

Re: Facebook Breastfeeding Dispute

personally, i couldnt give a shit, just try not breast feeding at restaurants. thats it. cimple request. i dont wanna see it while im eating, other than that, u could feed on the jumbotron in times square and it wouldnt bother me.

[sammwalk]

Re: Facebook Breastfeeding Dispute

The thing at issue here is that it's a big deal to these women.

If they weren't being aggressive about it, demanding that Facebook should allow them to post pictures of themselves breastfeeding, and instead just cooperated, then I bet that the general public sentiment would be more forgiving, and would actually result in more public tolerance. But being obnoxious about it isn't going to work.

What next? Can I post pictures of myself taking a shit? Why not? It's a human function that I HAVE to do. There's nothing wrong with it. Let's start a group that campaigns for the freedom to post pictures on Facebook of people taking a shit! It's only fair.

[DIDI]

Re: Facebook Breastfeeding Dispute

^^^ That post is so bad in so many ways !!!!

You compare feeding your baby the best possible way to having a shit !!!!

Who cares about public sentiment, when you are doing the best thing for your child. ??? They don't have to be forgiven

Now to the issue here. Basically if the rule is no breast feeding I think Facebook is wrong. Breast feeding is a wonderful thing, [unlike shitting] and I can understand why they want to share some of the wonder. Even on Facebook However if it is simply a matter of not showing nipples I think they are wrong. It's easy enough to breast feed without actually showing a nipple.

The isues of nudity and the issues of breast feeding are not the same, guys !!

[Miroslav]

Re: Facebook Breastfeeding Dispute

I think this is ridiculous. If I'm not mistaken, Facebook is privately owned (not that it would make a difference in the argument logic even if they were publicly owned). Founder Mark Zuckerberger and his gang own the whole thing; they can do whatever the hell they want to with it, so long as it is not illegal. They are not National Geographic, they don't need to answer to a bunch of crazed women, and there is nothing in the Constitution that says they can't monitor or limit your use of their own product. For better or for worse, they have decided to conform their site with conventional social norms, which generally say something along the lines that men can be topless at a beach but women can't. Why? I honestly don't know! But if you don't like it, stop using their product and go start your own topless Facebook.

Speaking of which, there are other ways in which these women can share their breastfeeding pictures, if they really feel they must (although I honestly have no idea why they'd feel so strongly about it). They can set up a google group or make their own website for cheap. They can get some sort of a usenet group. There are enough options out there.

[i!!ustrious]

Re: Facebook Breastfeeding Dispute

Breastfeeding > bottled milk. However, Isn't breastfeeding a intimate and private thing? They should create a service called respectively -- Motherbook.

Sometimes there is nothing more relieving than unleashing a payload of poo after enduring the anguish of holding it in for a long duration of time. Also, it's a physical discharge function, like breastfeeding (though this nurtures lol), so why post it? ...brb uploading pics of myself shitting.

---

Not a fan of Facebook, mine remains deactivated.

This is your brain mind on Facebook.

[sammwalk]

Re: Facebook Breastfeeding Dispute

You compare feeding your baby the best possible way to having a shit !!!!

shitting is the best possible way for a person to get rid of shit and there's nothing disgusting about it at all.

at least, not any more disgusting than watching chunky white fluid being sucked out of a flabby appendage by a fledgling human.

[Miroslav]

Re: Facebook Breastfeeding Dispute

^^ lol cute

[DIDI]

Re: Facebook Breastfeeding Dispute

Sammwalk , Did I say shitting was disgusting.?? But the fact is it has an unfortunate stinking result which is why we don't do it while we are eating!! Well most of us don't . Perhaps with your attitude you do ! I really hope you never breed .

For all you indignant private enterprise men, Facebook sells itself as a social net work. Plus there is so much more on there that is really offensive every minute of every day. I'm actually quite shocked at the male attitude here to breast feeding.

AS I said if it is the nipple that is a problem, hide it. If it is the breast feeding open your minds. Private or not should be up to the individual to decide.

watching chunky white fluid being sucked out of a flabby appendage by a fledgling human.

Btw that reads more like a blow job than breast feeding.

Just for the record and in case you haven't noticed I really don't like facebook anyway.