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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Breastfeeding uproar on Facebook
What's your opinion of all this?
Some woman's photo was yanked down from FB and called obscene and it's set off this major protest on FB. They are arguing that breastfeeding is natural and normal and while I agree that it is, there are a lot of natural and normal things I would rather not see when I play around on Facebook.
Re: Breastfeeding uproar on Facebook
First, I have to say I agree with many others who say...
Why the HELL would anyone want to put a photo on facebook (or any other semi-public medium) of themselves breastfeeding?
That said, I don't think that photo was bad. There are photos of girls in bars with more revealing clothes than that. If the issue is bare skin, it's a completely ridiculous argument considering some of the classless photos I see on a daily basis on there.
If the issue is breastfeeding itself, I don't see the huge deal. For me I suppose it's one of those, "if you don't like it, don't look at it" things. You choose who your friends are on Facebook, and you can choose to look or not look at photos.
ditto, and very well said.
i didn't see the photo myself. i do have a friend that put up a pic of her bf-ing her child. and i saw nothing wrong with it. i probably wouldn't do it myself, but i don't have a problem with it. i also have friends that take very scandalous pics of themselves in clubs and with very little clothing on that i find more offensive then a mother bf-ing her child.
I don't like the idea of censorship over something so natural, however... there are some things that are natural and beautiful that are meant to be private.
So I guess my view is that I don't think facebook should censor it, but I do think that people should really think about the pictures they post of themselves on the internet. There are some things that are meant to be private.
I very much agree with this. I think these pictures are different than the pictures that young girls post of themselves (what lilcrablegs was referring to). Even though those pictures are probably inappropriate and classless, they aren't something that is necessarily a private matter. Of course it depends on exactly how much skin and which body parts they are showing, I'm not advocating showing off private body parts or anything like that but breastfeeding should be, in my opinion, a private matter between a mother and a child.
TI, IUIs, IVF = c/ps and BFNs
i'm totally not trying to be contrary on purpose, but i honestly don't understand. i get that bf-ing is a private matter b/w mother/child. and i wouldn't personally put pics of myself bf-ing. but what is the big deal if someone else does? like i mentioned before i have a friend that put a pic of herself bf-ing, and i would never have thought about asking her to remove it or reporting her. unfortunately, i have a few friends that have put up pics of themselves partying (very CLASSLESS pics of themselves partying), which have offended me much more than a bf-ing pic. the internet is def not a private place, so i think everyone has to think about that before uploading pics, but i really don't see why a pic of a mom bf-ing would be reported.
I agree with you T. I mean, I know a girl who has a photo of herself peeing in an alley. I saw a photo a couple days ago of someone throwing up.
If people can see those as funny, entertaining, or appropriate, then I see no argument for a half-breast and baby photo being inappropriate.
My first question over this whole thing is how locked down was her profile? Was it a public profile that anyone could see? Or was it like mine, where you have to be my friend to be able to see anything? I'm just curious because if it's a really locked down profile, then it's not like just anyone on Facebook can see the picture of her.
In the end, I think it's her profile, it's her choice. It's not like there's nipple showing, or anything obscene. One of my former students has a picture of herself half naked and peeing. That's worse to me than a picture of breastfeeding.
Personally, I think breastfeeding, while beautiful and natural, is a private choice between a mom and baby based on what's best for them. And I kind of think that it should stay fairly private. I know that's a flame-worthy statement. But I don't see the appeal in posting a picture like this woman did. I just don't get it.I'm reading the news articles, and I have to say - if any of these pictures are showing nipple, then I 100% agree with removing them. I think (in my non-breastfeeding expert opinion) think you can post a picture of breastfeeding that doesn't show nipple.
And one more thing - honestly? This advocacy group is the type of thing that drives me insane. I just saw this quote:
"Stephanie Knapp Muir, 40, one of the organizers of the Facebook group, said the company?s policy was unfair and discriminatory towards women. ?If they were removing all photos of any exposed chest ? male or female ? in any context, at least that would be fair,? Ms. Muir said. ?But they?re targeting women with these rules. They?ve deemed women?s breasts obscene and dangerous for children and it?s preposterous.?
Um...see...no matter what, there's a difference between mens and women's chests. Men can flash nipple with no consequence, but the same isn't true for women. And I am fine with that. If I put up a picture with my breasts showing, then it would get taken down. End of story. I don't think that's wrong, or bad, or should change if suddenly a baby nursing gets put in the mix.
I don't think Facebook deemed boobs dangerous for kids. If there was nipple showing, then I think they enforced their policy, which they have every right to d.
That's fine if you don't understand. I don't understand why someone would want to post that picture in the first place. I never said that I thought it should have been reported or that I would consider it obscene, I just don't get why it was there in the first place. I find it inappropriate to post such an intimate, private moment on a public website.
TI, IUIs, IVF = c/ps and BFNs
I agree that there are many things that should be kept private and for me, this is one of them. It's certainly beautiful to those intimately involved with it, but seeing a stranger doing this isn't my idea of beautiful.
like i said, i wasn't trying to be snarky. i personally wouldn't put bf-ing pics on the internet as i am a private person myself. but not everyone shares my same thoughts, and i get that. and i did not mean to imply that you would have reported it. i was really just "thinking out loud", not directing it to you personally.
As a current BFing mom...
I wouldn't post pictures of me breastfeeding on Facebook, however, FB doesn't have the right to take the pictures down. BFing is a natural thing and I'm frankly tired of the "Freakout" reaction I get when I need to feed my child in public. I understand that the US is weird about BFing, and (I am not meaning to offend) the South is noticably more skiddish about BFing in public, but the "public" needs to get over it. Because I know people are weird about it, I am as discrete as possible when I need to feed Avery. I will use lounges, dressing rooms, parking lots, etc or if I need to be out in the open, I always cover us with a blanket. I think that is the polite thing to do but it would be nice to not have to worry if someone next to me is offended because I decided to feed my child.
As long as the photos are out there in public where anyone can view them I believe that facebook has a right to take the photos down, limiting the photo viewing to friends only is a different matter.
Breastfeeding is natural, so is giving birth, masturbation, sex, menstruation, clipping your toenails, and a host of other things that are better done or taken care of in private and not put out there for public viewing. The "it's natural" excuse doesn't cut it for me. Just because it's natural doesn't mean you have to or that you should share it with the world.
No one (in their right mind) should feel that mothers who bf should confine themselves to their homes and be there at each feeding time. You are being considerate of others and being discrete. In my life I have seen women who seemed almost defiant about it, flopping them out for the world to see and not caring who might be there when they did it. There is nothing wrong with making use of lounges, dressing rooms, parking lots or blankets when the need to feed arises.
I didn't have to be a friend of hers to see one photo of a woman on FB who was completely nude, she had a twins latched on to both breasts and a younger child sitting on the bed with them...the woman was sitting cross legged on the bed and had it not been for a sliver of a sheet covering part of her crotch she would have had all her goods on display. The look on her face was not motherly, it was definitely more like hey look at me. If I could see that photo, a young teenager or some older pervert could take a look at it too and I don't think anyone would see anything beautiful in that photograph.
Posting a picture b'feeding on facebook is not something I would choose to do. But, I think that if a nipple isn't being shown and the picture is done tastefully, I wouldn't be offended. As pp's have said, there are much worse pictures on there.
I personally think b'feeding is a very natural thing and that our society shuns it too much. Many women in Europe breastfeed openly in public without scorn or criticism. While I'm not sure how often or whether I'll feel comfortable with doing it in public, I don't think people should be criticized for it, or for taking photos of doing it. As long as it's done tastefully.
Jane, I agree with you about just because it's natural doesn't mean it needs to be publicized, however I would NEVER compare breastfeeding to masturbation or sex. Those things are "natural" but are very private activities.
I think there has been a great pendulum shift regarding breastfeeding. Back in the 50's and 60's baby formula gained great popularity and women started to formula feed moreso than breastfeed - it was the 'cool' thing to do. As more studies have come out about the benefits of breastfeeding, it's now becoming the 'cool' thing to do again and there are considerably less formula feeders. Of course I'm not saying that women stopped breastfeeding but it was more of a societal norm to not even attempt it. I think that you'll find that most formula feeders are doing so because there was something that prevented breastfeeding (latch, supply, etc). Because of the growing popularity of breastfeeding, I think there are more women who are not only choosing BFing but who are also BFing for longer periods of time. (This also goes along with introducing solids later as well).
I think that in the next few years, the image of a woman breastfeeding will become more 'normal' instead of something so controversial. Angelina Jolie took a lot of criticism for her recent cover on [Vanity Fair?] because it was of her BFing her daughter. I would compare it to Demi Moore's nude pregnancy cover. At the time it was the talk of the town. Now, you see a LOT of women getting semi-nude pregnancy portraits done.