May 15, 2014

Instagram Censorship

Yesterday James Weston turned 9 months old.  I'm awful at taking his monthly pictures {#secondchildproblems} but usually remember to do the milestones {3 months, 6 months, 9 months, etc}.  So yesterday before his bath I got out his BB Blocks to try and snap a quick pic before he turned into the raging monster that he is from the hours of 5-7.

I got one.  A pretty cute one, if you ask me.
I got comments saying how cute he was, how chunky he was, etc.  I mean he IS cute, he IS chunky.  That is all I see when I look at this photo.  A cute, happy, chunky baby.

Apparently that's not what everyone sees.

I got a notification that someone had commented and, to my surprise, when I went to read it and respond my picture of my cute, chunky baby was gone.  Interesting.  I know Instagram has issues all the time so I didn't think much of it, figured it'd be back up later on.

Until I checked my email and saw that that photo had been reported and removed due to inappropriate content.

Umm, what?

I went back to my camera roll to double check.  No frontal nudity, not even a butt crack can be seen in this picture.  Sure, obviously he's naked but didn't Anne Geddes get famous for photographing naked babies and putting them on greeting cards and calendars?

I'm still in shocked and a little mad.

Would I post pictures of Kendall naked?  Absolutely not!  Not even her bare booty.  I have a rule, if they're under one it's OK and ONLY if it's the booty.  Only cute, little, chubby, dimply baby butts.  Frontal is never OK, ever.  There are boundaries when it comes to sharing pictures, definitely.  I've shared bath time pictures, where everything is covered also, and those never got reported and removed.  So I guess bath time nudity is OK?

Baby butts are not pornographic, at all, and if someone sees them that way then they need to check themselves.  I hate that we live in a world that we even have to think about people viewing innocent, young children that way.  I am their mother and I'd like to think I can make good decisions when it comes to what I chose to share about MY children.  I find it offensive that someone else took that responsibility from me when they chose to report this innocent picture.

Where do you stand on this subject?  Like I said, I think there is a fine line but I hardly think this picture of my sweet boy crosses it.

36 comments:

  1. People are CRAZY! I've heard of this happening alot lately. I had a friend who posted a picture of their baby very similar to this one and it got reported on Facebook and she couldn't post or anything for like 3 days. How ridiculous! I'm sorry that someone couldn't just see how adorable this picture was and had to cause drama by reporting it. Ughhh people make me so MAD!!!

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  2. I've taken countless bath time photos of Lily in her nearly 9m of life but I rarely share them with anyone but family and friends via text. Flashback 6 years ago to college, my friends and I gave each other temporary tattoos on our lower backs, NO WHERE NEAR our butts and put a group photo on Facebook. Someone reported it and it was removed for offensive content. I agree with you that baby butts are not pornographic and that you as a parent know the line of protecting and exploiting your children.

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  3. Ridiculous!!! Someone posted on Natasha from Hello! Happiness' blog and made a rude comment about her having a picture of her daughter in just her diaper. I am not sure why bothers so many people??? I jumped to her defense immediately. It's nobody else's place to make that judgement call. Some people need to get a life.

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  4. In no way, shape or form does this picture cross any lines! I cannot believe that someone reported you! I'm sure that person is a freak all in itself, and they should be reported for thinking about that picture in that way. James is a hunk of chunky love and he's pretty darn cute if you ask me!

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  5. It's an unfortunate situation & I'm sorry that whoever decided to report it has upset you. This picture is purely adorable & there's nothing about it that I find offensive. Some people just have way too much time on their hands.

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  6. I have never, and probably would never report someone for posting a picture like this {or bath time pictures} but I disagree with posting any of your child without clothes. This is an adorable, tasteful photo of your boy, but I feel like it is inappropriate for the internet, only because of the amount of child molesters and perverts out there. They view these things very differently than the rest of us, and that makes me uncomfortable. Sadly because of my husband's job in law enforcement I know how many of these people there are out there and what they are searching for online.

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  7. That is an ADORABLE picture! I don't blame you for being irritated at all. That being said, there ARE creeps out there. You never know someone else's mindframe. I'd never think anything of a pic like that, but if I had been victimized at a young age, I would probably feel differently. I'm sure whoever reported it didn't do it out of meanness.

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  8. Within the last 2 weeks there was another blogger and IGer that posted a pic of her 4 year old daughter 'breast feeding' her baby doll. There was no skin showing, the pic was taken from behind the daughter so even less 'showing'. But it was tagged, too. The 4 yr old is watching her mom nurse her new baby brother, something so innocent and natural, and the mom caught a pic and shared it b/c it was cute. Some people are over the top and need to take a chill pill. But ironically when I saw this pic of James yesterday on IG my first thought was 'wonder if someone will tag this too'. What a crock! CUTE picture and it made me take a mental note to do a shot like this of my own little chubby boy when he's old enough to stand alone.

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  9. It's such a cute picture…makes no sense to me either. I've seen some things that are definitely inappropriate and those have not been removed. Maybe someone was just trying to protect you and James from the creepers????? I don't know, just a thought.

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  10. This is definitely an adorable picture & I can't believe someone reported it as inappropriate. I have seen wayyyy more inappropriate things on Instagram than this.regardless he is a cutie!

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  12. Here's what I want to know...who at Instagram has the sliding scale of what's appropriate and not appropriate? Just because someone reports it doesn't mean that it should automatically come down. So weird.

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  13. I think the picture is precious! I saw it on my IG feed and didn't give it a second thought. There is nothing sweeter than a naked, chunky babe! However, I will let you know where I stand in regards to posting body pics (bathtub or not) of my girls and that is that its not my decision. It's their body. Yes, I'm their momma, but I just keep the cute naked photos to myself.

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  14. I absolutely love this picture. You have the cutest kids. I'd have the same feelings you're experiencing. Don't let it get you down.

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  15. This is an instance where I totally agree with you. I loathe when parents post full frontal or very indiscreet photos of their kids. To me, it shows a severe lack of respect for the adult they will be one day, not to mention that those photos live on a server *forever*. I've seen this argument come up with others bloggers and I've always been thinking, nope I totally agree, this shit should NOT be on the internet. In this case? You're completely right. You can't even see his butt. It's over the top for someone to report this.

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  16. I love this picture it is the cutest. My hubs saw it last night on FB and says.. they have the cutest chunkiest baby, reminds me of O. I see the same thing. I don't feel there is anything wrong with the picture. Another blogger just experienced this same thing with her daughter mimicking how her mom feeds her new brother. There was no skin showing in that one and it was reported and taken down. I am now glad I deleted IG and don't miss it one bit... I will just post to my blog and FB.

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  17. Instagram needs to check themselves period. They deleted an entire bloggers account because she posted a photo of her breastfeeding her baby. Yet there are accounts of celebrities posting photos of strippers, girls in thongs, and other ACTUAL inappropriate content that get left untouched. People have some f'd up priorities these days.

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  18. OMG! That makes me ANGRY!!!!! You don't even see baby butt in that pic. And it's the cutest baby pic!!! People drive me CRAZY. :(

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  19. that photo was adorable. Some folks have too much time on their hands to have time to report cute baby photos.

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  20. I do not think this photo is inappropriate. I personally don't post any naked pictures at all of my child, but if I saw this on my feed I wouldn't think twice about it. Like you said, you can't see anything at all and he is still a baby. I agree with you that it is totally just a sweet, innocent baby picture.

    I wonder if Instagram started to really crack down after a certain well known blogger caused a sh*t storm after posting a full frontal nude shot of her daughter who was well over baby age. It was so wildly inappropriate, and I think it angered so many people that maybe they had to just make it a "no exceptions at all" policy. That theory could be way off base, but I wouldn't be surprised if a few of those incidents contributed to their strict policies.

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  21. I wonder if it was reported not becuase it was offensive to the person viewing the photo but becuase they were trying (in an odd way) to protect your baby from the creepers that exist on IG and Facebook. There are a couple of well known bloggers out there who have had their clothed kids pictures stolen and then used for ugly purposes. I don't ever understand why someone feels the need to make a decision that only a parent should make. You have your boundaries for the pictures you take and decide to post. I personally think it is a super cute photo:)

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  22. I wonder if it was reported not becuase it was offensive to the person viewing the photo but becuase they were trying (in an odd way) to protect your baby from the creepers that exist on IG and Facebook. There are a couple of well known bloggers out there who have had their clothed kids pictures stolen and then used for ugly purposes. I don't ever understand why someone feels the need to make a decision that only a parent should make. You have your boundaries for the pictures you take and decide to post. I personally think it is a super cute photo:)

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  24. I totally agree! There is nothing pornographic, inappropriate or the slightest bit offensive about James' picture! You as his mom made the decision, based on your own boundaries to post the picture! I don't really understand why social media is giving "everyone and anyone" the option to report pictures. A suspicious account filled with naked baby pictures, absolutely, but one picture on a Mother's feed?! Unnecessary if you ask me!

    I've posted baby butt pictures and bath time pictures, none of which have been reported...YET! I actually think I have a similar one on my feed from months back of Norah Jane's hair down her back that has some crack in it from bath time one night! Guess I better take it down before it gets flagged! LOL

    xo

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  25. i hope the prude that reported it is reading this post.
    WHAT AN IDIOT.
    instagram is so bad at that. always removing nursing photos too. but what about the accounts and people who are all fake posting pictures of SOMEONE ELSES family claiming them as their own? that gets reported and instagram takes forever!

    f that.

    this is pure innocent sweetness! i want to cuddle him right up!

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  26. ugggh.
    inappropriate, but the Fitspo accounts with women showing their 'glutes' in thongs isn't???
    or men yanking down their undies to show alittle too much oblique and very suggestive?
    I do not get this world at all!?

    (he is adorable and the picture is 100% innocent!)

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  27. I did not even get to see it on IG before it was removed :( How sad.. I love the photo I think its cute personally... I do not think nothing is wrong with it.. He is still a baby & that makes it ok :) I think that to the person whom decided to report it on your IG needs to do themselves a favor & delete themselves for you... If they do not want to see it that is fine that is their choice but they do not need to make that choice for you or others whom enjoy seeing it not because they think its perverted but because he is your child & still a baby with all the baby cuteness going on! Im sorry mamma!

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  28. Ridiculous is what that is! In my opinion, that is one of the cutest baby side-booty pics ever!

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  29. How ridiculous. I've seen worse on Instagram. He's so stinkin cute and this picture is adorable. People are dumb, I'm sorry you couldn't share a simple, cute snap.

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  30. What?!?! How about this if it makes someone uncomfortable then they can unfollow you?

    He is such a cutie, btw!

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  31. Oh my goodness! That is ridiculous! I think the picture is absolutely adorable regardless of IG nonsense!

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  32. Thats awful! He is super cute and the first thing I thought was i want to pinch his tush! Hope to hear from you more on my new blog nycmommaandmore.blogspot.com

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  33. I find it so annoying how that picture was reported but those pictures of "fitness models" posing with their round butts in my face, basically sexualizing their butt isn't getting reported?

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  34. I've seen people getting their whole accounts deleted because of adorable pictures just like this. I think it's ridiculous. I didn't even get to see this adorable picture of that chunky baby butt and that's sad! It's so cute! Nothing offensive about it!

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  35. The first thing I thought was, no peenie?, no crack?, I can't even see what people could complain about! But of course, I had a fanny shot on the back of our christmas card. Same rule as you-under one and only hiney.

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