As some of you may know facebook have changed their moderation policy and are removing pictures that proud mothers have posted of themselves breastfeeding their babies. I personally do not wish to post pictures of myself breastfeeding but I am outraged that the choice to do so has been taken away from me. Several friends who have posted pictures of themselves breastfeeding have had their photos unfairly removed. Therefore I have started a chain and I am hoping to get it viral so I am also posting it on sites like this. If you are a facebook member please send this to all your friends and take part.
Dear fellow Facebookers.
Go into any shop that sells magazines and you have breasts shoved in your face. Does anyone bat an eyelid? Not really. However, a mother breastfeeding her baby in public is offensive and inappropriate to an annoyingly large number of people. So Facebook have added to their moderation policy that no "breastfeeding photos showing other nudity, or nipple clearly exposed" are allowed. I particularly like how they put it between "depiction of sexual assault or rape" and "bestiality, necrophilia and paedophilia." And although they say 'nipple' is banned, they are deleting photos only showing part of the areola - perhaps they need a lesson in anatomy?
Society seems to have forgotten that the primary function of the breast is to feed babies and are sexual second! In my opinion, if anyone can look at a breastfeeding mother and find anything about it sexual about it then there is something wrong with them, not the loving mother nursing her baby. Another thing society seems to have forgotten is that without breastfeeding, none of us would be here. Formula milk hasn't been around for that long, but since we evolved from primates or since Adam and Eve or whatever you believe in, mothers have breastfed their babies!
The following is taken from the Equality Act 2010:
(4)The reference in subsection (3) to treating a woman unfavourably because she has given birth includes, in particular, a reference to treating her unfavourably because she is breast-feeding.
(www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/17)
No where does it say ?unless her nipple is visible?. Women are protected by law to breastfeed however and where ever they wish! So why can't we share with our friends the beauty and wonders of breastfeeding?
I have not seen moderators on Facebook remove images of topless men exposing their albeit, non-functioning nipples. Why should there be two sets of standards here?
My idea is this, on Sunday 26th February at 21:00, we all post a picture of a breastfeeding mother with nipple exposed whether it is a picture of yourself, a friend or just one you have found on google images. Please send this to everyone in your contacts and encourage them to do the same. Let's get this viral! [:)]
Katie