Hey lovelies,
This morning when I went to check my Facebook page, I received a notice saying I was blocked from posting on Facebook. This has never happened to me before, so I didn’t realize the full extent of what it meant. When I tried to click like on a friend’s post, I received another notice saying I could not post:
Yesterday’s blog post focused on the need for men to hold space for the expression of the divine feminine. Though unplanned, today’s post is related; it is focused on the need for gender equality. In my opinion, blocking this photo and labeling it ‘inappropriate’ is a violation of my rights:
After getting blocked for posting this photo, I took a closer look. I had not previously noticed that my left nipple is technically visible. For those of you who do not know me personally, you may not be aware of the fact that I have four kids. I breastfed each of my children which means I breastfed for a total of 7 years. The breasts in this photo, my breasts, are not sexual, obscene, or inappropriate. They are life sustaining.
Here are the uncensored versions of the same photo:
I find it absurd that in 2018 it is still considered acceptable to block a woman from posting a photo of herself that a man is fully allowed to post. Twitter is the only social media platform I am aware of that allows men and women to post uncensored shirtless photos. This issue is not new to me. In 1998 I rented an apartment from Gwen Jacob and she shared her enlightened perspective with me. I am honestly shocked that twenty years later this is still an issue:
“In 1991, toplessness as an indecent act was challenged in Guelph, Ontario, by Gwen Jacob, who removed her shirt and was charged with indecency. Part of her defense was the double standards between men and women. Although she was convicted, this was overturned by the Court of Appeal. This case determined that being topless is not indecent within the meaning of the Criminal Code.
However, it did not establish any constitutional right of equality. This case subsequently led to the acquittal of women in British Columbia and Saskatchewan who faced similar charges. Topfreedom in Canada has largely been an attempt to combat the interpretation of indecency laws that considered a woman’s breasts to be indecent, and therefore their exhibition in public an offense.” – Wikipedia
The image below illustrates the gender biased posting rules of Facebook Instagram and other social media sites:
I would love to hear your thoughts on this matter…
I hope you are having a beautiful day!
From my heart to yours,
Joy
To see my Twitter thread about this topic, please click HERE
The more people that stop using Facebook and the like, the better, in protest against bogus community standards that discriminate against the human rights of women.
The naked human body is not offensive and why normal people continue to be so hung up and prudish is beyond me. If it’s good enough for men to be topless, then it’s good enough for women if they so choose.
I couldn’t imagine how restrictive and uncomfortable wearing a bra would be, day in and day out. Not to mention the health concerns and lymphatic drainage of the breast tissue.
Thanks for your support Matt!
Censorship and inequality are two of the biggest impediments to a free society.Canada is at least moving toward it,all be it slowly.Seeing all the silly bans people get on Facebook makes me glad I’ve avoided it.
It’s great that you have a personal connection to a pioneer for top free equality.Fighting for equality is no small thing,be it for top freedom,equal pay for equal work or equal treatment under the law.Best wishes in all your efforts to help achieve this goal.
Thanks Scott for your insightful comment!
When you sign up for Facebook you agree to their terms of service. It’s a free service that they allow you to use. Quit complaining, it’s free.
First world problems.
I hear your perspective and honour your opinion even though I disagree with it. I will respond by letting you know that, after this experience, I decided to focus on Twitter instead of Facebook because they have a gender neutral policy.
As for “first world problems” in my opinion, by not standing up for equality in my country, I would be letting women across the world (including my daughters) down.
I also find it interesting that you have taken the time to complain about my blog post while telling me to quit complaining…hohum.
I guess the saying “How can you start an an argument online?…Post your opinion and wait.” applies here. Anyways, I wish you well and hope you can respect my perspective even if you disagree with it. Peace.
Joy 💕
Dangerous American puritanism. What’s even wrong with pleasure and excitement? They try to kill life.
❤️
DJ:
It is not so much about religion as it is about control. If you sexualize nudity then you can bring in religion. Religion has been used for millennia as a way to control society. I consider myself religious and I do not feel that being a naturist is in any way contradictory.
💕
It seems to go hand in hand. Whenever there is puritanism, there is religion. Any kind of religion. Religion, at least the traditional ones, consists of prescriptions. What is allowed and what not, what to believe and what not. This is the opposite of freedom.
Gender equality aside, I find it hypocritical and sheer lunacy that in this day in age that the simple breast is considered led or sexual. Society sexualizes so many things covertly yet endorses them, but non-sexual nudity is taboo. Also why is nudity still considered taboo when all sorts of sexual lifestyles are permitted? This is one of the reasons I don’t have a Facebook account!
So true! ❤️
Nude is neither rude or lewd. The female breast is a magnificent organ whose physiology is capable of sustaining life, and a masterpiece of human beauty. It is NOT a ‘naughty bit’, a “dirty part’ or a thing to be hidden. But what about the children??? Well, surprise! Even those who are bottle fed can learn to respect the female anatomy, just like all the doctors and nurses do every day. ROFL!
FB needs to do what it promised and let users choose what they want to see.
Thanks so much for sharing! I deeply appreciate it. -Joy
Yes it is silly and it is double standards. However, I don’t think the rule based legal system is ideally suited to this, although a legal system based on a few hundred years of case law (in the UK) is not that much better, as such problems exist here too. Although, there are many arcane laws, under which, such things could be deemed indecent and thus you could be prosecuted for. I read an article recently in which the writer said that they thought people who like to be naked are at a similar point as were LGBT people were at 20 or more years ago. As for Facebook, they are perhaps sacred that their advertising revenue will be reduced by “porn”…..but as you say, they don’t seem able to remove utter rubbish and/or apply much common sense, but with software doing the editing, it’s not surprising.
Awesome insight. Thank you for sharing!
Joy, in essence you are correct but (I know the famous but) there is a difference between women’s breasts and men’s. You actually stated it succinctly and perfectly when you said, “They are life sustaining”. Women’s breasts are, men’s are not. That’s why in my opinion women’s breasts will always be viewed differently. In no way obscene but no doubt differently.
I believe it goes back to infancy when the breasts did give sustain our lives, nourish us, and give us the strength to grow. I also believe women know this as well, they use their breasts often to attract men, show their beauty, and at times boost their self confidence. Women have spent an enormous amount of money on breast augmentations and lifts. Men do not (some should consider reducing) Styles have gone from sheer, to plunging necklines, to the new sensation… the side boob.
Women are the only female mammals whose breasts become enlarged at puberty, independent of pregnancy. We are also the only species in which males caress, massage and even orally stimulate the female breasts during foreplay and sex. Roy Levin, of the University of Sheffield, and Cindy Meston, of the University of Texas, polled 301 people — including 153 women — they found that stimulating the breasts or nipples enhanced sexual arousal in about 82 percent of the women. Nearly 60 percent explicitly asked to have their nipples touched.
Even more fascinating is a theory by Larry Young, Ph.D., Center for Translational Social Neuroscience at Emory University. He states. When a woman gives birth, her newborn will engage in some pretty elaborate manipulations of its mother’s breasts. This stimulation sends signals along nerves and into the brain. There, the signals trigger the release of a neurochemical called oxytocin from the brain’s hypothalamus. This oxytocin release eventually stimulates smooth muscles in a woman’s breasts to eject milk, making it available to her nursing baby.
But oxytocin release has other effects, too. When released at the baby’s instigation, the attention of the mother focuses on her baby. The infant becomes the most important thing in the world. Oxytocin, acting in concert with dopamine, also helps imprint the newborn’s face, smell and sounds in the mother’s reward circuitry, making nursing and nurturing a feel-good experience, motivating her to keep doing it and forging the mother-infant bond. This bond is not only the most beautiful of all social bonds, it can also be the most enduring, lasting a lifetime.
Another human oddity is that we’re among the very rare animals that have sex face-to-face, looking into each other’s eyes. We believe this quirk of human sexuality has evolved to exploit the ancient mother-infant bonding brain circuitry as a way to help form bonds between lovers.
When a partner touches, massages or nibbles a woman’s breasts, it sparks the same series of brain events as nursing. Oxytocin focuses the brain’s attention to the partner’s face, smell, and voice. The combination of oxytocin release from breast stimulation, and the surge of dopamine from the excitement of foreplay and face-to-face sex, help create an association of the lover’s face and eyes with the pleasurable feelings, building a bond in the women’s brain.
In closing, indecent? No way… Different, most definitely
Ralph,
When you mentioned this comment during our conversation, I thought you were talking about a different one. You could write a book on this topic! Breasts as a Gateway to Orgasms is one of the chapters in Tantric Orgasm for Women. I recently had my nipples pierced to increase sensitivity and I suppose to decorate my breasts…so I definitely see your point. They are different than a man’s, partially because of their original intention, but also because of the way women and society focus on them.
It still does not change my mind 😉 I want to have equal rights on and off of social media… which, although I don’t know you very well yet), I imagine you agree with.
Thank you for your thoughtful, insightful, and beautifully spoken comment!
From my heart to yours,
Joy
I’ve been banned from Facebook so many times just for posting normal naturist photos that I rarely go on there now. At one point it seemed so natural to post non sexual photos I never gave it a second thought till I got a suspension notice 🙄
I had been careful to try and stay within the boundaries they set out but I am realizing now that I cannot support a platform that does not treat women and men equally. I am sorry you also experienced this kind of censoring. Thanks for sharing your experience. From my heart to yours, Joy