So, I was conducting a contest on my facebook fan page using the following portrait and text:  

PRIZE GIVEAWAY!!!!!
Win a beautiful giclee print of the portrait you see here! 
Here is all you have to do to win!
1. Like my Page on Facebook
2. Like the Photo of the Portrait you see here
3. Share this contest on your page to receive a 2nd entry!

I will randomly choose a winner from either Canada or the USA to win a giclee print worth $150.00!

Saturday morning when I woke up I found a big warning on my facebook page, which informed me that the photograph of this painting had been removed for violating Facebook standards.  So basically my entire contest was spoiled and I had lost all the names of those people who shared my artwork.  This is nothing new, believe me.  I've had this painting and several other artworks removed repeatedly from Facebook, been given countless warnings and even had my account deleted at one point, because my work was deemed obscene.  I'm not alone in this.  Right after I discovered the photo had been deleted I got a message from Amy Swagman of the Mandala Journey who had had this photo of her artwork removed:

For violating facebook's terms of use.  Frankly I am sick of it.  I'm sick of being treated like a criminal, a pornographer or something, when all I am doing is sharing my artwork.  I don't want to feel I have to hide my work when I am proud of it.  

Another piece which was removed recently is this small portrait commission I did:

Believe it or not I did not actually think twice about posting it.  I was proud of it, and very excited to share.  It wasn't until someone suggested I was pushing the envelope a bit that I realized I might possibly lose my account again for once again posting a nude woman, nipples uncovered.  Indeed- I received another warning and the image was deleted the next morning.

So, why don't we learn?  Why doesn't Amy Swagman and Kate Hansen just stop posting nude artwork?  Well... because we shouldn't have to.  You may believe that Facebook's standards of use are applied fairly to everyone, but I argue that they are not.  I've always refused to draw attention to other artists I know online who post nudes, because I do not wish their art to be removed, and I do not want them picked on or singled out.  I do not in any way wish people to report other artists who post nude artwork.  I have however decided to share an image from a gallery I am fond of- EVOKE Contemporary Gallery out of Sante Fe New Mexico.  EVOKE gallery was hosting a beautiful figurative show called "Decadence," August 5th of 2011, and had posted some of the work on it's facebook page.  I want to stress that in no way do I wish anyone to report this work.  I love it, I love figurative art and I wish all figurative art had a home on facebook.  I do not understand, however, why my work and Amy's work is removed repeatedly and why we are harassed when there is plenty of other nude artwork on facebook that does not receive the same treatment.  Here is an example of a painting from the EVOKE page: 

Christopher Rote- Armageddon, oil on canvas, 54 x 52


The difference is clear.  This beautiful painting depicts a woman with guns, while ours depict women with babies/pregnancy.  Violence is clearly acceptable while birth, breastfeeding and pregnancy are not.

I can't believe it's been over a year since I first started having trouble with Facebook. I had several artworks removed from facebook repeatedly, without explanation of any kind, besides the standard form letter.  If you wish to listen to my interview with Sheila Coles on The Story From Here, just listen to part two of this link. ( It's at about 19:40.)   Since then I've had the extraordinary experience of meeting some of the most amazing, interesting people.  I was lucky enough to get in touch with artists Gemma Turnbull, Leif Harmsen and Amy Jenkins, all of whom had had some issues with art censorship themselves, and had some beautiful insights on the matter.  I was also lucky enough to meet with some amazing lactivists, such as Jessica of the Leaky Boob.  What seemed at first a strange and singular experience with a social network became indicative of a larger social issue- that society takes with breastfeeding and with the human body in general. 

I wanted to write this blog post partly to acknowledge that a year had passed, but also as a big huge thank you to all my friends, family and supporters.  I can actually chalk up the whole experience as a good one, because I met so many wonderful people, and made some life-long friendships along the way.  I feel like I've grown up ten years in this past year.  Thank you so much for your support.

If you're in my area, (Courtenay BC.) and you're interested in seeing the Madonna and Child Project in full, please stop by the Muir Gallery June 3rd for the opening reception.  I will be there 7:00- 9:00pm, and the show will be on display until the 25th of June.

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.

I just had my profile photo removed today by Facebook.  If there's any speculation that this removed photo might actually be obscene, please see below and judge for yourself.

This is a photo of me standing in front of my painting titled "Ailen and Jet Jazz."  This was at the National Exhibition for the Canadian Institute of Portrait Artists this Septemeber, in which I won "Most Innovative Portrait."

This is the note from Facebook that I received this morning:

Hello,

You uploaded a photo that violates our Terms of Use, and this photo has been removed. Facebook does not allow photos that attack an individual or group, or that contain nudity, drug use, violence, or other violations of the Terms of Use. These policies are designed to ensure Facebook remains a safe, secure and trusted environment for all users, including the many children who use the site.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can visit our FAQ page at http://www.facebook.com/help/?topic=wphotos.

The Facebook Team

So, as you probably know... my account was deleted from Facebook after about ten minutes of posting a breastfeeding photo.  (It was re-instated the evening of October 1st.)  September 30th at about 8:30 am I posted a status photo of myself breastfeeding my daughter, in solidarity with Emma Kwasnica who had had her entire profile deleted after posting similar photos.  At about 8:45 I was prompted to log in while commenting on my status photo, I attempted to log in, but was unable to.  It said that my account had been disabled for posting content that violated facebook regulations.  So what are the regulations they speak of?  In the Chicago Tribune company spokesperson Barry Schnitt stated: "We've made a visible areola the determining factor.  It is a common standard."

Yet, if you look at a close up of the photo in question you will notice that there is no visable areola.  So what exactly is their reason for photo deletion?  Do you think I would have been removed if I were wearing a bathing suit which was showing the same amount of skin? 

Another interesting aspect was the fact this was actually my FIRST snapshot posted which was not art related.  All the other posts, including the photograph by Catherine Opie, were art related.  The paintings which got removed back in April were all my own, and a facebook spokesperson told reporter Antonia Zerbisias of the Toronto Star that it had been a "mistake," that my paintings had been "accidentally removed."  If that were the case why was my entire account deleted within ten minutes of posting a breastfeeding photo, which, by their own standards, contained nothing obscene?

Here is another close-up.  Once again no visable areola.

What is the common denominator in these images?  You've got it- they are all breastfeeding images.  It seems that Facebook, a massive powerful corporation, has determined that breastfeeding is obscene, and that children need to be protected from it.  As a Canadian I know that my breastfeeding rights are protected under the Charter of Rights.  Breastfeeding is protected in most of the United States as well.  Why then are we letting a for profit corperation determine our rights for us?  Why are we letting a corporation decide what we can and cannot see?  I think this problem is not only breastfeeding related.

I also question the areola rule.  Why is it that visable areola is obscene?  Does context have nothing to do with the rule?  It seems a shame to say that women's nipples are "dirty" or obscene, when that's what we put into an innocent baby's mouth.  What about them can possibly be obscene in that context?  Below is breastfeeding featured in a Mr. Rogers clip.  I guess no one thought to protect the children from the obscene areolas in this one.