What Happens When You Post a Nude Photo On Facebook

The nudity restrictions on Facebook have changed throughout time. According to Facebook’s most recent community-standards policy, pictures of genitals or completely exposed buttocks, as well as certain shots of breasts if they contain the nipple, are prohibited. However, Facebook claims that pictures of women actively nursing or displaying breasts with post-mastectomy scars are permitted.

The policy says, “We limit the exhibition of nudity because certain viewers within our worldwide community may be sensitive to this kind of content—particularly due to their cultural background or age.”

This is how it works in practice:

BREASTFEEDING IMAGES—

For years, breastfeeding images have been a source of contention. When the pictures were taken off, breastfeeding mothers complained. 11,000 individuals conducted a virtual “nurse-in” in2009, changing their profile pictures to nursing ones. It’s unclear when Facebook’s policy changed internally, but the policy language changed around two years ago to explicitly allow pictures of nursing moms.

Frederic Durand-Baissas, a 57-year-old Parisian teacher and art enthusiast whose Facebook account was banned without warning five years ago, talks with the Associated Press during an interview in Paris on Friday, February 12, 2016. Facebook lost a key legal fight on Friday, when a Paris court decided that it may be sued in France for deleting the account of a French user who uploaded a picture of a renowned 19th-century nude artwork. (Thiabult Camus/AP Photo)

MASTECTOMY PHOTOS—In 2013

 almost 20,000 individuals signed an online petition, spearheaded by photographer David Jay and breast cancer survivor Ann Marie Giannino-Otis, asking Facebook not to prohibit mastectomy photos. In response, Facebook issued a formal policy allowing the overwhelming majority of mastectomy pictures. While the policy adjustment helped, Giannino-Otis said Friday that many mastectomy pictures are still reported by other users and deleted by Facebook. On Friday, Facebook did not reply to demands for comment.

CHILDREN’S PHOTOS:

Jill White, a photographer from North Carolina, had her Facebook account banned in July 2014 after she uploaded a picture of her daughter and a friend on Coppertone’s page. The buttocks of her 2-year-old daughter were partly exposed, a nod to the iconic Coppertone picture of a dog pulling at a child’s bikini. White claims her account was stopped twice, and she was told that if she didn’t remove the picture, it would be permanently banned. She recreated it with the identical picture, but this time an emoji was used to hide the problematic portion. However, when pals got away with sharing the original picture, she began to do so as well—so far without incident. White claims she is still baffled by Facebook’s policies and how they are implemented.

Delivery PHOTOGRAPHY—In2011

 Facebook apologized for deactivating the account of an Iowa photographer who had uploaded photos of a friend and her baby minutes after birth, but only showed her friend’s breasts, not her nipples. New Creation Photography & Design, Laura Eckert’s photography company, specializing in photographs of pregnant women and the earliest moments of a baby’s existence. Eckert received an email from Facebook apologizing and explaining that the account had been disabled in mistake.

At the Orsay museum in Paris, France, on Friday, Feb.12,2016, visitors examine Gustave Courbet’s 1866 artwork “The Origin of the World,” which portrays female genitalia. A Paris court decided Friday that Facebook may be sued in France for removing the account of a French user who uploaded a picture of Courbet’s renowned 19th-century nude artwork. (Francois Mori/AP Photo)

ARTWORK—

 

“Photographs of paintings, sculptures, and other art that shows nude figures” are permitted under Facebook’s policy. However, several people have gotten into difficulties after uploading nudity-themed art. Gustave Courbet’s 1866 nude artwork “The Origin of the World” was uploaded by Frederic Durand-Baissas, the instructor whose account was suspended. In a piece on New York magazine’s Vulture blog, artist Jerry Saltz claimed he lost his account after uploading violent pictures from medieval art. In January, the Christopher Stout gallery in New York had its Facebook account banned when it posted a picture of an artist sitting topless on a toilet.

Frederic Durand-Baissas, a 57-year-old Parisian teacher and art enthusiast whose Facebook account was banned without warning five years ago, talks with the Associated Press during an interview in Paris on Friday, February12, 2016. Facebook lost a key legal fight on Friday, when a Paris court decided that it may be sued in France for deleting the account of a French user who uploaded a picture of a renowned 19th-century nude artwork. (Thiabult Camus/AP Photo)

The Associated Press, 2016. All intellectual property rights are retained.

What Facebook’s Nudity Policy Means in Practice (2016, February 12), obtained on the 24th of August 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2016-02-facebook-policy-nudity.html

Conclusion

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