On Facebook.com, a Web site where thousands of girls and women have posted lewd and lascivious photos of themselves to attract attention, photos of nursing mothers are unacceptable and banned. Hypocritical and twisted are the first two words that come to mind. Though the ban has been in place for some time, women are beginning to stage an ardent protest over this idiocy.
FACEBOOK’S CLAIM
Facebook says it does “allow mothers to…share photos of themselves breast-feeding” but not photos of a fully exposed breast. Okay. It seems to me that if a baby is latched on to a nipple, effectively covering up what seems to be the big tamale when it comes to showing breasts on various TV shows, publications and Web sites, then how would a photo of a nursing mother EVER show a fully exposed breast? That’s my argument. Protestors are going with the “natural” argument and the fact that there’s nothing sexually obscene about breastfeeding.
PROS AND CONS
A group called “Hey Facebook, Breastfeeding is Not Obscene,” which now has over 10,000 members, staged the first virtual protest ever on December 27th. Of course, there are opposing views. A group of liberal females responding on another blog said, “There’s no reason women need to post pics of themselves breastfeeding online. They’re not writing a medical textbook, or a how-to guide. It’s just another form of exhibitionism and self-promotion under the pretext of being “natural.” Come on, folks. A naked body is just a naked body. We all have either one standard set of parts or the other. Why are they always regarded as obscene? Think about it. All these “parts” have other essential jobs that have nothing to do with sex! That’s why the US is such a sexually repressed country with uncontrollable teen pregnancies. Now you know what I think. What’s your take on this controversy?
NEWBORNS NEED NOURISHMENT!
Aha! We’ve just identified the primary reason women have breasts—to feed us after we’re born. Here’s a good article on baby-feeding basics to remind Facebook that what they’re banning are photos of mothers using their “on-board feeding system” to help keep their infants alive and healthy.
But, to show Facebook I can be fair (which is more than I can say for them,) I’ll show you two adorable mealtime baby gifts that don’t require Mom to use her breasts (Gasp! For all of you who feel defiled simply when someone uses the word breast, I’m so terribly not sorry.) First, a fabulous baby gift for the bottle-fed newborn—“A Bib a Day” 21-Piece Gift Set (right) with days-of-the-week bibs, eight washcloths, a comb, a brush, a lollipop rattle and a teething ring. For NASCAR fans, how about the NASCAR “Today’s Schedule” Bib and Bottle Gift Set (left,) or is that too racy?
A final thought: Facebook, you need to grow up and rethink this.
