photo by CamCamsMama
Are you a member of Facebook? So was Kelli Roman. I read about her at the Motherlode Blog. Her Facebook profile picture was a photo of her breastfeeding her baby. One day, the photo disappeared. Apparently someone had complained to Facebook that it was obscene.
Other moms have received warnings from Facebook that they would be banned from the site if their breastfeeding photos, which had been deleted, were put back. So Kelli Roman started a group called Hey, Facebook, Breastfeeding is Not Obscene, and there are now over 60,000 members. Interestingly, the photo of Kelli breastfeeding is on the group's homepage (so you can judge for yourself whether or not it's obscene).
On December 27, 2008 there will be a virtual "nurse in" to protest Facebook's policy of banning members with breastfeeding photos. The group is asking everyone—men, women, non-breastfeeders, non-moms—to change their profile picture to an image of a nursing mom (it can even be a nursing animal) and to change their status to "Hey, Facebook, Breastfeeding is Not Obscene!"
A lot of moms here at CafeMom are talking about the controversy. There's a thread "Breastfeeding moms fighting Facebook" in the Breastfeeding Moms group started by Enjoli, and a journal post "Virtual 'nurse in' on Facebook" by KnoxvilleDoula. Some of the comments point out that many breastfeeding photos show no breast at all, whereas there are photos of scantily women all over Facebook in which you can see far more skin (among other things).
What do you think? Should Facebook ban photos of women breastfeeding?
This Hot Dad Wants to Do Your Ironing
This Hot Dad Wants to Cook You Dinner
This Hot Dad Cooks AND Does the Dishes
Kanye West is Gay?! 
Comments 23
LOL I can't participate in the nurse in...YET. Its gonna be about 6 more months LOL
I will be participating. I can't believe they removed that picture, you can only see a tiny sliver of skin! Yet all the pics of girls with their boobs practically hanging out are OK.
Katzmeow, you can just find a pic of a nursing animal and post that...or maybe some art, there's lots out there. it doesn't have to be you, to participate in the nurse in :)
The only reason I say I'm not joining in is because I'm afraid I will forget to. If I remember I will. That's just insane! Myspace removed some of my photos of my newborn because of "nudity" *sigh*
MySpace did the same crap about a year ago. I'd be participating in the nurse in, execpt I'm not a member of facebook.
yet ive seen some seriously nasty photos of girls who apparently think they entire world wants to see their ass!
I think I'll get a facebook just so I can participate! That is ridiculous!
I'm not joining coz my son is almost 18 months but I support breastfeeding mums, also, as a member of facebook I have seen many a worse profile pic on there like men's private parts which I have reported as being obscene and they haven't removed it!!! How can they justify that?
I support breastfeeding all the way and Face book, I can't believe they wont let you put a pic of a breastfeeding, I just deleted my facebook profile. Otherwise I would participate, maybe I should re-activate my account just so I can particpate. Thats what I'm going to do right now.
I support breastfeeding! I will try to get online that day for the nurse in... but being Christmas weekend, we may be pretty busy and I may not get to the computer, but I sure will try! Bad facebook!