You may be aware that recently Facebook has done it again, labelling breastfeeding photographs ‘obscene’ deleting the accounts of people who have these pictures amongst their photographs.
By doing so, the powers-that-be at Facebook are saying that pictures of a perfectly reasonable and normal (not to mention healthy) non-sexual act are the same as porn.
Any reasonable person knows that this is just not the case, and we need to ask ourselves (and Facebook!) what the problem really is here?
I wrote last month about what I believe is the deep-seated reason for society’s continued problem with breastfeeding – you can read the piece here. However, just because you can argue what the reason behind someone’s problem with breastfeeding might be, it doesn’t mean that it’s ok for them to have a problem with it.
In particular it doesn’t mean that institutions such as Facebook and the PCC should endorse them having a problem with it.
Recently in the press, breastfeeding mothers have come up against a brick wall (embodied by the Press Complaints Commission) when they argue that breastfeeding and breastfeeding mothers are being unfairly denegrated. Here Facebook embodies that problem once again.
The PCC has special rules to protect minority groups, such as homosexuals, HIV sufferers, and it has rules which deal strongly with issues of racism. Why is breastfeeding not afforded the same protection?
Why is an international body such as Facebook allowed to discriminate so totally against something which any reasonable person knows is perfectly normal and healthy? Why is it still acceptable to discriminate a mother for mothering her child?
How on earth are we going to EVER persuade mothers to breastfeed, in line with the best health advice available (and human nature), if we cannot even stand to look at a photograph of a breastfeeding mother? When the sight of a FEMALE breast offends us so much simply by being used for it’s primary function!
I despair sometimes…
Here follows some photographs which are, apparently, offensive and obscene. If you don’t like them, look away.
Whilst you’re at it, you might just ask yourself what your problem is.
Because be under no illusion, you have a problem.
~~~~~~~~
This mother pictured below wanted to dispell the myth that young mums don’t breastfeed. Here she is feeding her 4 day old child, at the age of just 17. She struggled with her first baby and sadly stopped, but she’s proud that she gave it a go and says she fully intends to breastfeed her next child for longer.
This amazing mother discovered she was pregnant again only a few months after having her second daughter! Still fully breastfeeding, she fed throughout the pregnancy, and now her daughters nurse together.
The amazing body below belongs to a mother of three boys. Mother to three boys aged 3,2, 8 months. She says:
‘I didn’t BF my first baby due not not knowing anything about babies, noone ever said to BF at hospital they just gave me a bottle of SMA and that was that. My second I EBF for 3/4 Months then mix fed then FF. My third boy is EBF at 8 months with little solids (he feeds himself food) he has never had any formula or any other liquids. 
)))’
The mother belonging to these beautiful breasts says:
‘I’ve been breastfeeding my first baby for 6 months now, and loving it! It hasn’t been without ups and downs (mostly to find out that my ‘problems’ were actually normal behaviour!), but doing lots of research and perservering has worked for me.’ 
The baby pictured below was born with tongue-tie. This is a condition which can make forming a good ‘latch’ very difficult and it can be a hidden cause of pain for mothers.
She says:
‘My little girl who was tongue tied (corrected at 4 weeks old) …
is now 7.5 months and we plan to continue til she self weans’
The picture below is me. Breastfeeding my beautiful, toddling daughter at 21 months old. It has been a journey of huge ups and downs, but it has been one of the most important experiences of my life. I feel very blessed.
I have to say I find it unbelievable in this day and age that this discrimination happens.
Facebook is riddled, with pouty young girls flashing thier cleavage. Page 3 is still a popular institution after many years. Boobs and bums are everywhere in our society today. Flick onto MTV and there is more flesh than a butchers shop window.
Imagine a picture of a beautiful woman showing her breasts, a vast majority of people would not actually have any problem with that, cover the nipples if you like with a bra, like in a wonderbra ad, the ones that adorne big billboards that guys oggle out! Now stick a baby into the picture, all of a sudden the picture becomes a turn off??!!! I really don’t understand it. Is it because it de-sexualises women in some way?? The mind boggles.
Breast feeding is natural and beautiful and I am appalled that facebook and an all to big part of society has a problem with it. I will breast feed my son, when ever and where ever I see fit and if anyone one has a problem with that, then so be it.
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While I am TOTALLY for breastfeeding pictures of Mamas with their nurslings (I have a few on my fb account). And I agree that it is wrong what FB has been doing. I fail to see how bare breasts with no baby in the picture is necessary. Why would you want that for all your friends and family to see? Not that breasts are shameful, but when there is no infant snuggling by them they are just THERE.
While I appreciate that breasts aren’t just for men to oogle at, and nothing to be ashamed of. I don’t see how posting bare breasts (if those were indeed on a FB account)is appropriate, or necessary- or any different than, in all honesty, porn.
Now, in the movie Babies the Mama from Nambia was always topless, I thought that was an awesome way to take the shame and sexualized nature of how we view breastss and turn it…Make us think. It was beautiful. But like I said, bare breasts with no sweet baby to admire…It just isn’t appropriate for FB (in my opinion). Other than that I completley agree, FB needs to get a reaility check.
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I would like to respond to the previous post. I too felt slightly uncomfortable about the breasts sans bebe. However, on reflection, and after reading your post which stated some of my feelings, I feel that it is a good thing to be challenged. Our culture has covered up female breasts while giving men the freedom to expose theirs without shame. Porn is a creation of a repressed society. If porn did not exist, then we would not see bare breasts as linked to it. If we had more bare breasts porn may not have such power. Personally, I find Victoria Secret models with the message of the ideal plastered all over the world more offensive than the pictures we see here. I think what we need is to recognize the feelings we have, just as you have, but then try to see it from another perspective and question where our feelings stem from. Are they a natural reaction to something ‘inappropriate’? Or are they a reaction to the way we have been raised to view women and their mammary glands?
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