I feel sorry for my nipples. Unfortunately for them, we live in a society that frowns upon the sight of female nipples catching a bit of sunshine. Whereas it is perfectly acceptable — no, ordinary — for women in certain tribes in Africa, South America, and in our own country’s mountainous provinces to walk around topless, the “ladylike” thing to do in our “civilized” way of life is to keep them under cups. Those tribeswomen may be as baffled by bras and tops as we are of burkas.
What have female nipples done that was so wrong as to be subject to so much persecution? The reason I am suddenly experiencing an empathic episode for my nipples comes from a recent article published in The New Yorker given the title â “Nipplegate”. It seems, Facebook is quite the nipple persecutor. It recently suspended the Facebook page of the New Yorker after it shared on it an image of a cartoon depicting Adam and Eve in a humorous situation.
Guys, it’s The New Yorker you just banned!!
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And besides, how else would you depict Adam and Eve without violating internal guidelines allegedly observed by Facebook’s “moderation team” with regard to “nudity and sex”? According to a Gawker article, these guidelines make use of really precise terms…
When it comes to sex and nudity, Facebook is strictly PG-13, according to the guidelines. Obvious sexual activity, even clothed, is deleted, as are “naked ‘private parts’ including female nipple bulges and naked butt cracks.” But “male nipples are OK.” Foreplay is allowed, “even for same sex (man-man/woman-woman)” Even the gays can grope each other on Facebook.
Maybe I read too much into this but I detect a bit of male bias here. Male nipples are obviously the same anatomical item. They just happen to be attached to a male person, right? And, come on, “nipple bulges and naked butt cracks”?? You’ve gotta be kidding! That sort of policy will merely encourage Filipinos to continue the rather unsightly practice of swimming on the beach in t-shirts and shorts! And here I was thinking that the whole point of going to the beach is to be able to upload your fantastic bikini pix onto your Facebook profile..
Checking out Facebook’s publicly-accessible Community Standards, however, the language is a bit more ambiguous…
Facebook has a strict policy against the sharing of pornographic content and imposes limitations on the display of nudity. At the same time, we aspire to respect people’s right to share content of personal importance, whether those are photos of a sculpture like Michelangelo’s David or family photos of a child breastfeeding.
A whole lotta good that will do. If this sort of vague language masks a “moderation team” composed of Taliban clerics, then I think we have a legitimate cause to organize an indignation rally against Facebook management. Seems like Zuck has lost his sense of humor now that Facebook is now — sniff — a public company *eyesroll*. Bizarre, considering Facebook supposedly started out as some sort of college-boy prank (at least according to the way the movie The Social Network told the story).
I propose we add female nipples to the rolls of humanity’s marginalized and oppressed. It’s time we reclaim their rights!
Frustrated artist doing geek for a living.
Maybe Facebook wouldn’t be so uptight if everyone’s Mom wasn’t on it.
It doesn’t help too that the minimum age for membership is 13…
This is blasphemy!!!!! All nipples, male and female should be liberated in the Philippines. Never once have I ever turned down the opportunity to see a female nipple. Free the nipples…… Free the nipples…..
pangit na pag exposed lagi ang nipples ng mga babae, mas maganda yung paminsan-minsan lang nilalabas kasi mas exciting, eh kung araw araw at oras-oras mong makita wala nang sarap. at saka pumapangit rin ang skin pag exposed lagi.
In all seriousness I have lived in cities with topless protests. Then they wonder why a bunch of guys show up with camcorders.
It’s not as if naked activism does not happen in the Philippines. Didn’t some kind of protest rally happen in UP Diliman a year or two ago (something to do with environmental ek ek if I’m not mistaken) where there were some girls who also came out topless?
It was some tradition but I can’t remember if the right to be topless was the centerpoint of that protest/ event or just part of the circus.
@ Kata N.
Not proud of my nipples coz my former girlfriend sucked them black and blue and dangling like California raisins, but if you start the movement I’ll be right behind you. LOL !!!
Now this is a cause I can support.
Sorry, but I can’t agree with this one article! Because Facebook, in it’s policies, was I’M SURE not thinking about what effect they would have on Philippine society. They obviously are an American-based company and have to deal with scrutiny by Republican activists and well as gay-rights activists, therefore they are required to find the fine line and that perfect spot of balance on the balancing beam! There are possibly people on their team that don’t even know that the Philippines exists.
I am happy that the New Yorker’s page was suspended, because that shows all those huge companies that “no one is above the law” , “Facebook law” to be precise. You know, kind of like what the Philippine government should do to big politicians– show them that none of them are above the law! Knock ’em out once they try to rise above that law!
Actually, Facebook already apologized to the New Yorker and “rectified the mistake”.
Traditional mainstream media still beats social media anytime. 🙂
I will give you an idea how engrained the modesty is in the culture. About 8-10 years ago when nobody knew what was NSFW was a guy at work was roaming the net for those kind of pics. He got fixated on those naturist resorts in Europe. Nude beaches is another term for them. He then asked me who came up with the concept. Like it was some innovation. Never occured to him it was natural for some cultures. I assume this guy was not a student of history. Since history tells us the Olympic competitors did their events naked. Guess it would make it harder to know what country they are from.
Way to go Kate for having the courage to express this! I agree there is a double standard in the world at times and it is really sad, I also think it so sad that we are so hung up on nudity in general, guess we can thank our puritanical and conservative ancestors for this and the religious and political right. I wish we had nudist beaches here in the Philippines but that is perhaps very wishful thinking to ever get that approved eh? I just hope folks will grow up and get over this kind of thing and realize the body male and female is a beautiful and awesome creation, embrace and adore and accept it in all it’s sizes, forms and uniqueness!
Keep up the great articles and expressing your ideas, and opinions, that’s what freedom is all about!
Maybe facebook’s moderators implement the same manual Benigno is reading. Just thinking out loud here 😉
Free the nipples? And leave the breasts without it? No way!!!
I’m not going to have my cake without the toppings!
Have you read the article about the Facebook moderator team : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/9118778/The-dark-side-of-Facebook.html
Desensitizing work 😉
Someone must’ve jokingly reported the image.
Dang, this country should at stop being very conservative! Well, at least it’s not the lower part, for crying out loud. Dang you, cocksucker, pedophile Padre Dumb-ass-o! >.<