When the facebook page Earthy Motherhood was deleted recently it was among about five others that I heard about.  The number of women deleted; midwives, doulas, artists and mothers, was overwhelming to me.  It seemed that Facebook was indeed cleaning house, removing photos of childbirth and breastfeeding with abandon.  Pages cropped up in support, among them Bring Back Earthy Motherhood, Bring Back Denver Doula and Bring Back Holly Marie Stewart.  I started feeling rather hopeless about the whole thing, how many pages would continue going down, how many times would we have to rally ourselves to get them back, involve the media.  Every time Facebook tells us it's an accident, that they didn't mean to delete these pages, these photos.

Maybe it IS an accident.  Most of us know Facebook operated in such a way that requires people to report photographs and other material before they are deleted.  I know for certain someone reported my own images before they were removed.  When we point out that our breastfeeding images are censored before sexualized images for example this is true.  I think most of us are aware though that this has less to do with Facebook actually seeking out breastfeeding images and more to do with the public's discomfort with breastfeeding.  Regardless of whether it's an accident or not and whether or not the reinstate our accounts... the fact remains that the way Facebook operates is flawed, and it is damaging women's systems of support.  Just the fact that someone can report something anonymously means that the perpetrator faces no consequences at all for their actions.

So why don't we go somewhere else to hold support groups for women?  Because we shouldn't have to.  As Jessica of The Leaky Boob states in her article The Problem Continues:

"Having an active presence on Facebook does something else:  normalize breastfeeding.  Shunning breastfeeding moms to “discreet” (read: obscure) corners of the internet does nothing to encourage accepting breastfeeding as a normal and beneficial piece of family life."

Certainly it's tempting to leave.  It's not nice to feel unwanted anywhere, and it's not nice to feel like you're tempting fate every time you post something as risque as feeding an infant.  However this problem is more than a "lactivist" issue.  The issue is about how we as a society feel about our own bodies. 

I'm sure we're all used to seeing underwear ads at the bus stop, perfume ads involving women in lingerie... yet the ad that was censored recently from the Calgary Transit lines was an image of a newborn baby.

This giant sculpture is by Ron Mueck.  It was being shown at the Glenbow Museum of Calgary, but the advertisements were declined for use in public transit areas- because it might be "too much" for some people.  However, as someone so aply put it on my Facebook page: "We've all been there."  I feel that beyond the obvious concerns about so-called nudity in breastfeeding or childbirth, the abhorrent tendancy to get breastfeeding mixed up with sex... I think people are also repelled by the vulnerability of the images, the lack of airbrushing and "beauty" as we're used to seeing it, as well as the very human quality.  I think people are afraid of their own humanity.

Breastfeeding images, pregnancy photos, childbirth and newborn babies all serve to remind us that we're human.  These women also come in all shapes and sizes, they don't fit the beauty standard we're used to seeing.  I think if anything we need to see more images of normal women's breasts, for example, to remind ourselves what women look like without plastic surgery and airbrushing.  I think it's important to remember who we are- vulnerable, miraculous and highly imperfect, in order to completely value ourselves. 

My first interaction with Jessica of the Leaky Boob was when I submitted a blog for her breastfeeding carnival.  I was at a wedding, using a friend's laptop to communicate with her.  It was harried and confusing, yet she was incredibly forgiving, warm, funny and sweet.  She very gently steered me towards a more personal article than the one I was planning on submitting, which resulted in one of my better pieces of writing.  I continued keeping in touch with her and found her so encouraging of my artwork.  She seems to share my desire to represent all women, regardless of background, parenting approach and shortcomings.  In many ways she is my inspiration.  I consider her a better person than I am.  She is more patient and forgiving, and more likely to be amused than angry.  I strive to treat people the way she does.

Then Sunday morning she awoke to discover that her Facebook Page: The Leaky Boob, had been removed.  She was given the statement that her page violated Facebook's terms of use, a vague and incomplete statement at best.  She was told:

"Your Page 'The Leaky B@@b' has been removed for violating our Terms of Use. A Facebook Page is a distinct presence used solely for business or promotional purposes. Among other things, Pages that are hateful, threatening, or obscene are not allowed. We also take down Pages that attack an individual or group, or that are set up by an unauthorized individual. If your Page was removed for any of the above reasons, it will not be reinstated. Continued misuse of Facebook's features could result in the permanent loss of your account."

I personally had spent a lot of time on The Leaky Boob fansite.  I was just in the process of giving advice to a new mother who feared she was not producing enough milk when it was deleted.  Now I have no memory of the mother's name, no idea how to get in touch with her and tell her not to worry... if her baby is gaining weight she's probably fine.  This to me is a violation of OUR rights, that such a useful and decent page could be deleted without warning.  I have never known The Leaky Boob to be anything but a place of gentleness, solidarity, good humour and helpful advice.  Jessica was never one to judge another person, so how DARE she be judged in this way?  Obscene?  Give me a break.

Since I wrote this article the Leaky Boob was re-instated as a Facebook page, then about an hour ago it was removed again, as well as the Bring Back the Leaky Boob page that rallied so much support.  Once again we need to rally together, notify news agencies if you can, get all the support you can, and once again we need to Bring Back the Leaky Boob- Again.  Please join.  I feel this is an important issue for all mothers regardless of parenting habits.  We need to make sure breastfeeding advice is accessable and not discriminated against in this manner.