Facebook and Instagram Expected to (Somewhat) Rescind its Boobie Ban!

Social media has always had a bit of a complicated relationship when it has come to the human body. Of course, images which are outright pornographic are often, if not banned, then certainly discouraged on pretty much every mainstream platform. There has, however, always been a bit of grey area when it comes to the naked human body. Well, putting Twitter to one side.

No, you probably wouldn’t want to log in to Facebook to be greeted by a flaccid penis on your front page, but at the same time, there isn’t anything necessarily wrong with the human form and the various lumps and bumps we all have. Well, presuming that it is utilised in a sensible and age-appropriate manner.

For a long time, however, Facebook has had a problem with breasts. Well, specifically, nipples… And female ones. While they don’t seem to care too much about a bare-chested male, female breasts (and specifically nipples) have, for quite a while now, represented a restricted image type on the social media platform.

Following a report via Guardian, however, a new Meta report has strongly indicated that both Facebook and Instagram are potentially set to set their boobies free. Well, in very specific scenarios at least, which, I daresay, is about to see the hornet’s nest not so much kicked as smashed with a baseball bat!

Facebook & Instagram to Free Their Boobies!

The report has been issued specifically in response to a situation regarding a transgendered couple last year. With them posting images, presumably of their chest transition, the Facebook AI flagged images of an exploded female nipple within their posts and promptly deleted them. Following a successful appeal, however, this opened the doors (not for the first time) in regard to what position Meta (aka Facebook), and its social media platforms, should take with fully exposed female breasts.

And, put simply, it appears that they’re about to open the doors to some breast and nipples, but not all!

And So the Madness Creeps In…

While this might all sound good and entirely reasonable in a progressive society, in an incredibly bizarre loophole, if Meta does go ahead with its proposed ban lift on nipple images, this may only apply to either transgendered, transitioning, or non-binary “women”. In other words, images of cis-gendered female breasts (those specifically with a visible nipple) may still be technically against the Facebook and Instagram terms of service, and, by proxy, viable for removal!

And in something which royally pisses me off (admittedly, due to highly personal reasons) this will likely also include the continued ban on images both of and from breast cancer patients/survivors. Yep, despite this proposed change, (as I understand it) this will still be considered an unapproved image type if it includes a nipple. – And here we enter the madness…

In a nutshell, if you’re transitioning or don’t consider yourself within a mainstream gender, it seems you will shortly be able to put your nipples on Facebook or Instagram. If you’re dying or recovering from one of the most prevalent forms of female cancer though, and perhaps want to spread a little provocative awareness of it via one of your best media outlets, tough luck!

Rant aside, all I can say is that thank god I’m not part of their moderation team because if they think they have problems with this issue of naked breasts now, wait until when they actually apply it! – To me, this doesn’t seem like a solution to a problem, it’s the opening of Pandora’s box!

What do you think though? – Let us know in the comments!