Facebook forced to change policy on nipples in pictures following online backlash as it assures mothers 'We agree that breastfeeding is natural and beautiful'
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Facebook has changed its rules to allow users to post photos of breastfeeding.
Following a major online campaign called #freethenipple, it has been revealed the social network changed ts policy - but has not explained why.
Mothers took to the internet to complain after it was discovered breastfeeding photos were being banned.
Mothers can now post breastfeeding pictures of themselves on Facebook following a change in policy
FACEBOOK'S NEW POLICY
In answer tho the question 'Does Facebook allow photos of mothers breastfeeding?' the site revealed its policy change.
It's answer reads:
'Yes. We agree that breastfeeding is natural and beautiful and we're glad to know that it's important for mothers to share their experiences with others on Facebook.
'The vast majority of these photos are compliant with our policies.
'Please note that the photos we review are almost exclusively brought to our attention by other Facebook members who complain about them being shared on Facebook.'
Today it emerged Facebook changed its policy three weeks ago, updating a question in the sites help section to read: 'We agree that breastfeeding is natural and beautiful and we're glad to know that it's important for mothers to share their experiences with others on Facebook.
'The vast majority of these photos are compliant with our policies.'
It claims that many of the removals were actually due to complaints from other users.
'Please note that the photos we review are almost exclusively brought to our attention by other Facebook members who complain about them being shared on Facebook.'
To test the new rules, US parenting blogger Paala Secor posted a photo of her breastfeeding to her 4,655 Facebook followers, in which her nipple was exposed.
Less than a day after she released the photo, Facebook unpublished her page and warned it could be deleted, Secor explained on her personal blog.
She later received an apology from the website in which a member of the Community Operations team admitted the page had been accidentally' removed.
She welcomed the changes.
'Seeing breastfeeding is important, as is being able to share those images without fear of scorn or deletion,' she wrote.
'Facebook has finally updated their policy regarding breastfeeding images,'
'They now match most state laws that specifically allow nipple exposure during breastfeeding. Exposure during breastfeeding doesn't constitute indecent exposure.
'Why is this important? Basically, Facebook is slowly but surely realizing that women, or at least breastfeeding mothers at this time, are allowed to live in their own skin and share images of themselves topless (and breastfeeding) without being deleted for nudity.'
A photo resent by multiple users in the "free the nipple" campaign #freethenipple - which has now led to Facebook changing its policies.
Alongside the picture, Secor wrote: 'We are proud to nourish our babies with our breasts and we will not be shamed for it.
'We will share our special/difficult/funny/priceless breastfeeding moments with our friends, families, and community and we will not to told [sic] to keep them to ourselves.'
Francesca Entwistle, a leader of Unicef's the National Infant Feeding Network and Midwifery Lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire, told the Independent: 'It's good that Facebook have finally responded to the concerns of users who wanted nothing more than to capture shared moments with their babies, and we hope that this new policy helps reduce the stigma around images of breastfeeding,'
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