The Censorship of the 4th Trimester Bodies Project

 

Does this image offend you?

 

It shouldn’t. But for some inexplicable reason, it seems that Facebook, instagram, and related social media outlets don’t like images depicting the beauty and reality of motherhood. Facebook has been censoring the project page and even has gone so far as to remove images and lock photographer Ashlee Wells Jackson and her team out of their page and personal accounts. It’s worth noting that not a single image violates Facebook’s terms of service.

 

So, what is the ?  The following is a brief description taken from their website:

 

The  4th Trimester Bodies Project is an ongoing photo documentary created by photographer and mother Ashlee Wells Jackson. This project is dedicated to embracing the beauty inherent in the changes brought to our bodies by motherhood, childbirth and breastfeeding.

 

Sounds harmless enough. Sounds downright liberating, to be honest. I’m a champion of body image issues because my eating disordered past is not a future I wish for my own daughter. With that realization, I founded Girl Body Pride and work daily to change how I see myself and my own body, always conscious of the fact that what I say and what I do will be internalized. So when I find others working to bring greater awareness to the reality and beauty of our bodies as they are — as opposed to the photoshopped and over-sexed images commonly found in mainstream media — I’m all about celebrating and supporting.

 

In this case, I’m also dusting off my soapbox, standing tall and proud, and asking Facebook what the hell their justification is for censoring reality. Jenni Chiu first brought the controversy and her post is a brilliant commentary on the extreme double standard in Facebook’s censorship of this particular project when images of sexy half-naked women in tiny bikinis don’t seem to be an issue. Click the link. I’ll wait for you to come back.

 

Read it yet? Good. Are you as mad as I am? Are you ready to get downright pissed off?

I know I am. I follow Ashlee on twitter now, so I see her updates asking for support. I see the widespread support she is receiving and the media coverage resulting in her campaign to be allowed to post something as normal as a fucking stretch mark. And I see Ashlee’s frustration when she posts updates telling her supporters that we haven’t made enough noise. Facebook has flagged Ashlee’s fan page for permanent deletion. She has no recourse.

I’m not sure about you, but every time I see an update showing that our grip on reality and positive body image and loving ourselves just the way we are, I bristle up. I’ve spent most of my life listening to the mean girl inside of my own head telling me that I’m too fat, too curvy, not good enough, should try harder. I founded Girl Body Pride because I knew I had to do something to get my shit together in order to break the cycle and raise my daughter without a ready-made set of issues packaged prettily in her own mother’s words and insecurities. And as much as I tell myself and the rest of the world that only what we think of ourselves matters, part of me is calling bullshit on my own bravado.

Facebook and instagram aren’t making me feel bad about what I see in my mirror by not liking the reality of the 4th Trimester Bodies Project. But by deleting the account and ignoring all requests for answers, they are saying everything without saying a word: How we feel about ourselves doesn’t matter to the rest of the world unless our confidence and self-worth are wrapped in pretty little waistlines and perky boob jobs in teeny bikinis. In short, we can feel good about ourselves, just not publicly. We’re not pretty enough to be acknowledged, otherwise.

I’m not good with that, y’all.

 

Make some noise. Write about it. Share the story on your Facebook stream. Sign the 4th Trimester Bodies Project petition on Change.org. I just did.

My complex feels smaller already.

 

Pauline Campos is Latina Magazine’s advice & relationship columnist, editor of the ebook anthology, Strong Like Butterfly, and a radio personality on NPR’s Latino USA #latinoproproblems advice segment. Pauline blogs three times a week at Aspiring Mama (or when she remember to take her Adderall) & is the founder of Girl Body Pride. Strong like Butterfly is currently available on Smashwords. An earlier version of this post originally appeared on Aspiring Mama.