Though Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are rife with truly disturbing and harmful material, for some reason or another, moms are continually being banned from the sites simply for sharing the honest, real, miraculous moments of motherhood — and it’s happening because the social media giants deem them too graphic or provocative.
While certain sites have adjusted their policies and even sent personal apologies to all the moms they have wronged, there is still a long way to go. The negative stigma around birth and breast-feeding photography is a hugely powerful force on social media.
That’s why these badass moms, all of whom have been banned from social media at one point or another for their beautifully raw photos, are taking a stand against mommy censorship and sharing the images that got them in trouble in the first place.
Originally published July 2016. Updated July 2017.
Heather Bays
Mom and professional portrait photographer Heather Bays had her Instagram account shut down in May 2014 after commenters supposedly complained about her breastfeeding photos. She has since been allowed back on Instagram, and Bays has started a dialogue regarding women’s rights on social media. “Women are still fighting for equality, and we’re very slowly getting there,” she posted on her Facebook page. “We will continue to fight. And that’s why this world is so afraid of women!” You go, Heather!
Jes Jackson
Just hours after sharing this beautiful birth photo, professional photographer Jes Jackson was locked out of her Instagram account for failing to follow Instagram’s “community guidelines.” Jackson, who is a mom herself, immediately spoke out about the absurd censorship, saying that she hopes to “play a part in breaking down the negative stigma surrounding birth culture in our society.”
You can follow Jackson on Instagram here.
Melissa Jean
Instagram made a major oversight last August, when taking down Australian photographer Melissa Jean Wilbraham‘s account. Wilbraham specializes in motherhood and baby photos, and was told she had violated Instagram’s terms of policy after posting several breastfeeding images. Instagram eventually realized their mistake and reached out to apologize. Melissa’s account is now fully restored with all its stunning images.
Francie Webb
Apparently, this mom’s birth photo was just a little too “natural” for Facebook. Francie, who also goes by “TheMilkinMama,” learned this the hard way when Facebook took down this photo of her at-home delivery in March 2016.
A member of the “NYC Birth” Facebook group, with which she had shared the photo, had reported the image for violating Facebook’s terms of service. Since the incident, Francie has started her own campaign to make birth photography more acceptable on social media. She even runs her own website called The MilkinMama, which teaches moms how to hand express their breast milk and find empowerment through breastfeeding.
Morag Hastings
This incredible birth shot, capturing the second this baby entered the world, got professional photographer and mom, Morag Hastings, banned from Facebook in April 2016. Hastings, the owner of the family photography company, Apple Blossom Families, regularly uses social media sites like Facebook to promote her work and raise awareness for her particular line of photography. Hastings was incredibly disappointed for the censorship of her photo, especially because it did not directly violate any of Facebook’s written guidelines, and hopes to see a change in the stigma around birth photos like these.
Abby Theuring ‘The Badass Breastfeeder’
This badass mom is yet another example of Facebook’s extreme breastfeeding policing. Abby from The Badass Breastfeeder had her personal breastfeeding photo removed from Facebook in June 2014 because it apparently did not follow the “Facebook Community Standards.”
Unfortunately, this was not the first time Abby had been kicked off the site. “I have been banned a bunch of times from my page over the years,” she told us, even for photos with hardly any exposure.
Krista Evans
This Canadian mom and photographer’s award-winning birth photo was banned from Facebook along with her entire account just one day after she posted it in February 2016. Krista Evans‘ photo had been named one of this year’s most powerful birth photos by a panel of judges for the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers just before Facebook censored it from her page.
Apparently the image had been reported “for nudity and for failing to comply with Facebook guidelines.” Krista continues to push back against wrongful censorship of her images and still posts the beautiful pictures on her website, Facebook page and Instagram.
Courtney Adamo
This innocent and adorable shot of her daughter, Marlow, got Courtney Adamo banned from Instagram in June 2014 for supposedly containing “nudity.” Apparently, the photo of the tot proudly showing off her big girl undies was offensive to certain users and received multiple complaints, eventually leading Instagram to delete Adamo’s entire account.
Adamo has since been reinstated to Instagram.
Laura Eckert
Facebook banned yet another childbirth photographer, Laura Eckert of Iowa, from the site when she posted this incredible breastfeeding image to her professional page in December 2011. Eckert, who runs New Creation Photography, was told that her photo was “in violation of Facebook’s terms of use.” Instead of simply taking down her photo, the site went so far as to disable both her personal and business photography accounts.
After sharing her story with multiple news channels, Eckert eventually recieved an apology from Facebook and had her account fully restored. The photographer continues to share her amazing photos on both her website and Facebook page.
Jade Beall
When mom and professional photographer Jade Beall posted this group portrait of mothers breastfeeding on her Facebook page in February 2015, she was hit with an overwhelming amount of negative responses, which eventually led to the photo being removed from the site. Apparently, the image didn’t adhere to Facebook’s strict “anti-nipple policy,” and was much too exposure for users to handle. Beall said in an interview with Cosmopolitan that what she would “love most is for Americans to redefine their relationship to a woman’s breasts and to praise and celebrate the nude.” Jade continues to promote her beautiful images on both her website and Facebook page.
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