A few days back we brought you the story about the group protesting Facebook’s restrictive policy on nude photography. Well, it used to on any kind of nudity, really, but the social media platform has tamped back on banning classical art statues and the like. But photographs featuring nudity – especially the female nipple – are a no-go for Facebook.
Today, however, Facebook admitted that they are reviewing this policy after the efforts of several groups to make sure that photography is not treated like a second class artform on the world’s largest social media platform. To be clear, the protests were advocating for artistic representations in photography of the human body in all its forms as well as some kind of gender equality when it comes to topless photos on Facebook.
The Community Standards on this subject for Facebook reads in part, “We restrict the display of nudity or sexual activity because some people in our community may be sensitive to this type of content. Our nudity policies have become more nuanced over time. […] While we restrict some images of female breasts that include the nipple, we allow other images, including those depicting acts of protest, women actively engaged in breast-feeding, and photos of post-mastectomy scarring. We also allow photographs of paintings, sculptures, and other art that depicts nude figures.”
Now it is being reported that Facebook would like to sit down with photographers and artists to discuss this topic. FStoppers reports that the only goal of this meeting is to see whether or not the policy can be changed in a way that accommodates Facebook’s varying audiences as well as the photographer’s artistic sentiments.
Naturally, we will report back to you as soon as something comes out of all of this. In the meantime, we’d always like to know your thoughts. Facebook’s heavy hand on nude photography: Makes sense or needs to be rethought, let us know your opinion in the comments section below.
