Breastfeeding Mommy Blogger Tackles Instagram’s Stance On Exposure

Meet Alexis Sassard. Texan, wife, mother and mommy blogger. Of course those labels only scratch the surface of this woman, but for the sake of this blog post, those words are the most accurate way to intro this topic.

Instagram has recently come under fire lately for its cancellation of a few accounts, and for taking down certain pictures deemed “inappropriate”. Rihanna had her account permanently disabled after repeatedly being warned not to post any more nude photos.

Blogger and singer Meghan Tonjes had a photo of her fully-clothed booty reported and taken down. After she rallied and complained to the social media site saying it was unfair that plenty of near-naked skinny girls post the same and never get punished, they admitted they “made a mistake” and allowed the photo to be posted again.

On the mommy blogging front, Courtney Adamo, aka Courtneybabyccino, had her account shut down for a while because anonymous fans reported a cute photo of her toddler daughter playing with her bellybutton. She too, after complaining that the picture being the cause of her account being deactivated was ridiculous, was allowed to have her account back, but was told not to post photos of her unclothed children anymore.

Alexis is relatively new to the blogging scene with her blog Amerikaw, but it seems the hounds have already found her. She has posted a number shots of her infant daughter in diapers, as well as artistic shots of her breastfeeding. Her account was also deactivated because anonymous followers didn’t like what she posted, yet the whole incident has made Alexis take a stand on the often ridiculous censorship laws and how hypocritical they can sometimes be.

For the record, Instagram removed 6 of Alexis’ photos altogether, three of them of her daughter Luella, as shown below. Her mission is to tackle the censorship terms on social media, because she has experienced the brunt of it first hand. For her it was the pictures of her daughter in a diaper which have not been given back now that her account was reactivated, but for other mama’s it has been breastfeeding photos even though Instagram explicitly states they allow these on their app.

So why did we want to hear Alexis’ point of view? Because we are in full support of the #Freethenipple movement, and believe it is wrong to sexualize the normal functions of a woman’s body. However, we are yet to have a breastfeeding mother’s point of view, and this is where Alexis comes in. We also understand that there are plenty of people online who are making this just about pedophiles and how they shouldn’t have access to a photo of a child in diapers. Of course that is a legitimate concern. But when you look at how women’s bodies have become a cause for legislation and regulation, we have a much bigger issue at hand.

Here is what she had to say about the censorship laws on Instagram.

“If you look back to iconic images of the Middle Ages you can easily find the Nursing Madonna. The celebration of breastfeeding is not some radical movement that hippies have invented, it’s been a major part of our life cycle for eons. Sadly, the sight of a woman nursing her child in public still makes many people very uncomfortable. We can thank popular culture for that. Breasts are now seen as sexual objects rather than their one and only purpose.

“The development of social media in recent years has made the majority of our private lives very public. Some people choose to stay away from it while others, including myself, embrace it. For those of us who have signed on to post images and words in plain sight, we’ve taken on the responsibility to share what we want and what we don’t. A nursing mother knows that anyone could potentially see her breast partially exposed and she accepts that.

“The censorship of this particular image is mind-boggling to me. What protesters don’t understand is for a new mother who’s having a rough time trying to get her baby to establish a good latch or maybe even a mother who’s developed mastitis later on, the photo of a breastfeeding mother showing up in her feed might just give her the encouragement she needs.

“I can confirm this because I’ve received emails telling me so. The power behind a mother supporting a fellow mother is unreal. Nothing and no one else can ever replace that. Every day women are being sent emails from Instagram letting them know their breastfeeding photos have been reported. It’s up to the company to decide whether or not too much is being exposed.”

“It saddens me that we’ve allowed ourselves to get to this point. To let someone working in a corporate office decide if a mother practicing her incredible ability to nourish her child is considered nudity.

“Censorship in social media is far more complex than we’ll ever know. It’s so massive that it makes it impossible for a single company to monitor every individual account. Therefore, sites like Instagram rely on the community to do it for them. Something I happen to agree with, however, it has to be a public process.

“Instagram can’t just say because someone finds a photo offensive then it has to be removed. Yes, the policy team reviews the photo in question but they also base their decision to suit the needs of their “sensitive” members. So because someone doesn’t like a photo of my toddler wearing only a diaper, I’m reprimanded for it.

“The groups that report photos like mine are sexually objectifying our children and no one is doing anything about it. No where in the email that I received from Instagram telling me why my account was disabled, did it state that they were trying to protect my daughter from pedophiles. Instead they’re clearly catering to the “audiences within our global community that are particularly sensitive to this type of content.”

“The email also read, “I know that in certain situations, these policies may seem overly strict.  However, in order to treat people fairly and respond to reports quickly, it is particularly important that we have policies in place that our global teams can apply uniformly and easily when reviewing content. As a result, our policies can sometimes be more blunt than we would like.”

“What that tells me is even if the company doesn’t agree with it, it’s a quick fix to avoid an upset from the groups who report. It’s unjust and can’t possibly be that black and white. A fully developed, middle aged woman wearing nothing but thong can’t possibly be categorized alongside my 19-month old daughter sitting on the sofa wearing a diaper. There’s a huge flaw in the system that has to be addressed.

“Once someone raises a few questions the harassment that ensues can be overwhelming. I understand that people are passionate when it comes to the safety of children but where do we draw the line? When do we say “that’s not my kid, so I should back off.” We don’t. As a community we think we’re entitled to parent someone else’s child for them, or at least give our unsolicited two cents.

“Making any parent feel less than adequate is probably one of the worse things someone could ever do to them. The disrespectful commentary between people over difference in opinion has to end. It’s disgusting to read and solves absolutely nothing. Social media should be used for positive expression. It should be a place to connect with someone you know and someone you would have never met otherwise.

“We’re losing sight of that very quickly. Treating someone with regard for their feelings is the only way to keep this space in tact.”

By Alexis Sassard

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You can follow Alexis on Instagram, Pinterest, her blog, and sign her petition if you feel strongly about this topic.