A decade ago, Facebook had banned its users from sharing bare breasts photos on their account. But in an inclusive move, Meta may now allow trans, non-binary people and women to share their bare breast photos on their platform.
The recommendation came from Meta board that focused on Instagram's ban of two posts by a non-binary and a transgender person, who posed topless together to raise awareness around top surgery.
According to a report published by AFP, the company has welcomed the board's move and had already restored the images, agreeing they should not have been taken down.
The current policy prohibits pictures containing female nipples other than in specified circumstances, such as breastfeeding and gender confirmation surgery.
That policy is based on a binary view of gender and a distinction between male and female bodies and results in greater barriers to expression for women, trans and gender non-binary people on its platforms.
Meta’s oversight board is composed of academics, politicians and journalists. On January 17, it advised Meta to change its adult nudity and sexual activity community standard so that it is governed by clear criteria that respect international human rights standards, reported The Guardian.
Meta has been reportedly given 60 days to review the board's advice and make a public response. It was in 2013, when Facebook and Instagram faced the irk of its users for removing images of women breastfeeding. The platform had however later apologised for doing this and wrote that it allowed such images on their platforms.
Female campaigners had coined a slogan back then called 'Free The Nipple' and called for equal standards on revealing male and female breasts.
Meta has now also allowed nudity in newsworthy events and paintings which depict the artist's perspective of depicting the human body in a state of undress.
Earlier even celebrities including Rihanna, Miley Cyrus and Lena Dunham were forced to remove topless photos from Instagram, despite them going braless several times in support of the movement.
In the end, it should be the women's prerogative to decide whether they want to bare breasts on social media or not. While we are glad that women will finally get to decide, the move may also end the much romanticised mysticism around the body part which has had dedications from world renowned poets and artists. It may even lead to women falling prey to unwanted pressure to undergo breast enhancement procedures to flaunt their assets on social media.
