Facebook Bans Breastfeeding Pictures with Fully Exposed Breasts

Facebook made the news this week for taking down pictures of breastfeeding moms, where the nipple was prominently displayed.

Facebook has taken the side of reason and caution in this decision that has ruffled feminists' feathers across the nation. Tasteful breastfeeding pictures will be left up, but pictures that have an extra dose of nipple exposure or even more nudity during a breastfeeding session will not be allowed.

According to Facebook's terms of use, obscene pictures are not allowed, and pictures showing exposed breasts are considered obscene by the administrators.

The reality is, most people don't mind a tasteful picture of a mom breastfeeding her child, or seeing a breastfeeding mother in public as long as she is somewhat covered. At the same time, many people don't want to see your breasts hanging out and a three-year-old suckling while giving an imaginary thumbs-up gesture to the camera.

I've tried my best to be impartial, because I realize breastfeeding is natural, but I've seen one of the photos Facebook banned, and yes, it creeped me out. It contained a woman with her two sons on her chest. One looked to be about a year old at the most, and the boy who was nursing looked like he could have been 3 years old.

According to Amanda Ferguson from Canada's CanWest News Service, the owner of that picture runs a support group for nursing moms in Edmonton and she had posted numerous pictures of her breastfeeding her boys on Facebook to help new moms. Apparently the picture I saw was one of the more clothed versions, because Facebook sent her a warning saying her account would be closed if she continued to upload "obscene" content. The picture I saw, while slightly disturbing, was not obscene.

Online forums are brimming with discussions about breastfeeding. The women are either for or against it, but the men always chime in with comments like, "If they are young and firm, fine, if not, put them away," or, "Breast feeding in public is natural, just like it's natural for me to get aroused by seeing someone breastfeeding in public." Some men said, "It's just as natural to urinate outside, but you don't see me doing that, do you?"