Warning: Contains graphic nudity and blatant displays of lactation behavior 

Yesterday, MaryTKelly did a spectacular piece about young women being generally unladylike on Facebook. If Facebook is the new place to debase yourself as a woman and a repository for porn, it begs the question, what IS too offensive to post on Facebook?

I am.

Yes, I am too vulgar, too obscene and too nasty for Facebook.
Why?

Here’s one photo:

This one isn’t so bad. My face isn’t showing, my nipples aren’t showing, it’s tasteful.

Is it somehow more tasteful than this one?

Here, I dare to show my face and, if you blow it up really large, you can see the tiniest trace of areola around the baby’s mouth. (!)

In the past, Facebook has accepted advertising from topless models, shown millions (I’m not exaggerating) of photos of young women topless in thongs and bikinis and you can see thousands of couples in various stages of… we’ll call it “lovemaking”.

From the UK Times Online:
Barry Schnitt, a Facebook spokesman, said the website takes no action over most breast-feeding photos because they follow the site's terms of use.

"We agree that breast-feeding is natural and beautiful and we're very glad to know that it is so important to some mothers to share this experience with others on Facebook.'' But, he added, some photos were removed to ensure the site remains safe and secure for all users, including children.

"Photos containing a fully exposed breast - as defined by showing the nipple or areola - do violate those terms on obscene, pornographic or sexually explicit material and may be removed," he said in a statement. "The photos we act upon are almost exclusively brought to our attention by other users who complain."

Let’s take a close look at the Facebook terms of service:

In addition, you agree not to use the Service or the Site to…upload, post, transmit, share, store or otherwise make available any content that we deem to be harmful, threatening, unlawful, defamatory, infringing, abusive, inflammatory, harassing, vulgar, obscene, fraudulent, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable;

I didn’t see the words “nipple” or “areola” in there, did you?

Thousands of women are posting their nursing photos to Facebook right now, protesting the categorization of breastfeeding as vulgar. I’m one of them and I’m proud of it.

You may be asking yourself why I would WANT to show my breasts to the world. In short, I am proud. There isn’t much in this world I feel like I’ve done right. I’ve never been published, finished college or won a Pulitzer. But, I did this RIGHT. I nursed my baby for the two years recommended by the World Health Organization. I wasn't able to do that with my other three children, so I certainly don't judge anyone who doesn't breastfeed.

The time I’ve spent actually connected with my son will be a memory I cherish for the rest of my life. Why post a photo of yourself at Disney World or the Grand Canyon? Probably because you want to show your friends and family where you have been and the great memory you experienced.

Why should an innocent photo of me nursing my baby be any different?

I am not someone brave enough to sit down and nurse at the mall or the grocery store. But, on my personal Facebook profile, if you don’t want to see my breasts, you don’t have to do so. I’m not forcing you.

Perhaps this would be easier to take if I wore a thong?