“Free” nipples on Facebook and Instagram. Yup, #FreeTheNipple – the movement born 10 years ago to protest against the distinction imposed by Meta’s social networks, according to which the image of a female nipple is obscene and censurable while the image of the same male “protrusion” is accepted and postable – wins a new one, crucial battle. With a documentary dated 2014 which was entitled precisely Free The Nipplefree your nipples, the American director Lina Esco she was the first to expose, it is appropriate to say it, the different social and social attitude towards the male naked torso, accepted and allowed, compared to the female one, censored and stigmatized. At the time, the campaign quickly went viral: spreading to university campuses with the support of stars such as Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Aniston, Rihanna and many others. To the point that that same year the Palo Alto giant was convinced to change its policies towards maternal breasts, admitting for the first time the publication of photos of breastfeeding women hitherto incredibly banned from posts. But the question has remained current so far, so much so that it was relaunched by the British actress Florence Pugh just a few days ago on Valentino’s red carpet in Rome, where she showed up in a semi-transparent dress stating: “I don’t want to offend anyone, and besides: how can my nipples be so offensive?”.
Now the revolution comes from Meta’s Oversight Board – yes, in short, the control committee made up of scholars, politicians, journalists and various analysts who advise the company on the policies to be undertaken in terms of content moderation: that in a widespread opinion Tuesday he recommended to the “parent” company of Facebook and Instagram to change the community standards regarding adult nudity “so that it is governed by clear criteria, in the most absolute respect for international human rights standards”. What changed things was the debate, very heated in America, on gender fluidity and the right to sexual transition of one’s body and one’s identity.
In fact, the recommendation comes after the appeal of a trans and non-binary American couple, who had been censored for a post concerning a breast mastectomy, yes, in short, the removal of the breasts of one of the two. The council has in fact overturned Meta’s previous decision to remove two of their Instagram posts where the couple are shirtless, with their nipples covered. Very serious posts, where, in the captions, there was talk of healthcare for transsexuals and it was explained that the couple was raising funds to undergo the operation that would have “flattened” her chest. Posts removed for violating community standards. But just that before and after shown online has revealed all the hypocrisy of censorship and the absurd discrimination between female and male nipples. The trans woman, before the transition must hide her nipples but not after her. And the council admitted that its policies were based “on a binary vision of gender and on an outdated distinction between male and female bodies”. And that it had “unclear” rules on nipples.
With the recommendation, in fact, to “define clear, objective and rights-respecting criteria” when it comes to moderating nudity “so that all people are treated in a manner consistent with international human rights standards”.