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Anna Antell is a breast cancer survivor, and she's proud of it. After undergoing a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the 43-year-old mother of three posed nude for a photo exhibition at the Oxford Malmaison Hotel. The exhibition featured several other cancer survivors, and was intended to celebrate their bravery and courage, while raising breast cancer awareness. According to Facebook, though, the images of Antell's scarred body were way too offensive to be displayed on the social network -- because, after all, she's naked in them. Antell, you see, decided to share some of the photos from the museum with her friends on Facebook. It wasn't long, though, before the social network removed the photos, claiming that they had violated site policies that forbid users from posting images that contain nudity. "What they have done makes me more cross the more I think about it," Antell fumed. "It's basically saying we [breast cancer survivors] are offensive."
Although Facebook acknowledges that breast cancer survivors should be celebrated, it also thinks that images of naked women pose a very real threat to its youngest members. "These guidelines have to respect the views of a wide range of people, from 13-year-olds to the very old," Facebook spokesman Richard Appleton told the Daily Mail. "The image was removed because it contains what we categorize as nudity not because of the nature of the nudity in question."
And Facebook hits the nail on the head, once again. Everyone knows that teenage boys will do anything to see brain-rotting and moral-degrading images of naked women -- and Facebook must do everything it can to make sure they don't. But why stop with photographs of naked heroines? Might as well blur out all those vacation photos you took when you were visiting the Louvre, too. And those snapshots you took at the D'Orsay. Oh, and definitely your pics from the Georgia O'Keefe Museum. Sure, they're works of art, but they're also offensive works of art. But Antell, for some crazy reason, just doesn't see it Facebook's way. "The way I see it, cancer is offensive, Facebook is offensive," she says. "But these images are not."
UPDATE: It turns out that Facebook has a heart after all, and will allow Antell's photos to remain on the site. Facebook spokeswoman Sophy Silver told the BBC: "We do not allow nude images on the site, but recognize that we need to enforce this policy sensitively and support Anna's right to share her experience of her friends, including photographs of her scar."
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Comments
5
Subscribe to commentsCitrine1Nov 25th 2010 12:59PM
I am a cancer survivor and do not go around flaunting my scar. Personally I think it is disgusting how some people think it is okay to show off their body like it was some kind of souvenir This warpped thinking is why young people have developed immoral ideals. Man's laws state the naked body must be covered when in public. (except for a certain community in Fl) That applies to pictures of their body as well. Facebook you were right in removing the pictures. You should not have given in to pressure to reinstall them. If the young 'lady' wants to show those pictures to her friends she should have saved them for a personal meeting. I find she and her actions are a disgrace to the female population. Has she no dignity.
SharonNov 25th 2010 5:13PM
Quite frankly I find YOUR post appalling & a 'disgrace to the female population'. Wait, do we even know you're female? Just having cancer surgery/a scar doesn't make you female. I don't think her wanting to share images of the surgery is"flaunting" her scar. It is what it is. Hw do you go from someone showing her friends on FB her scar to "young people 'developing' immoral ideals'? Yup, I just bet there are lots of young people who would love to develop scars due to cancer who then will - well, what? What ARE moral ideals? That doesn't even make sense in the context of the article. When I saw the images, I thought wow - someone who is honest about what she's gone through, and this gets across to many that it's not ugly and the person - the human - is still within & should be celebrated, regardless of what her mortal body looks like. I'm sorry you have so many hang-ups (and you do, given all you posted).
justaguyNov 26th 2010 1:46PM
While I feel sorry for this woman and everything she has been through, everyone knows you aren't allowed to post nude photos on facebook or any other similar site. Its just not allowed. Facebook didn't take them down with any malice toward cancer survivors, they took them down because they were pictures of nudity. The most offensive thing about this entire thing is the woman saying "It's basically saying we [breast cancer survivors] are offensive." That is obviously not what Facebook was saying here and is only trying to sensationalize her story.
ahummerDec 4th 2010 12:02PM
@justaguy
The offense of nudity is caused by the explicit display of female nipple and areola. Think about bikini photos of young decorative women and/or girls for a moment, clearly showing their bosoms' curves. We all have to agree, the curvatures of women's breasts are among the most important appeals that define being female.
And then again, take a look at those who survived breast cancer, one of the most low down diseases. They have no nipple, no areola - no breast at all. They lost something that no more makes them look attractive in the world's eyes. But they are alive and want everyone to pay attention not only to cancer itself, but also to realize the importance of prevention and oncologic examinations.
What is only a nasty scar to you that should be covered and hidden, well that scar means survival itself to many women in the world today.
torslokeDec 5th 2010 3:40PM
This incident is just further proof of how nonsensical, hypocritical, and bizarre our Puritanical decency standards are in America. Let me try and follow the logic. So toplessness is indecent? Unless you're a man. Okay, so the breasts of women are indecent? Unless the nipples are covered. Okay, so just a woman's nipple is indecent? Yes. What about cancer survivors who've had their nipples removed. Oh no, that's indecent too. Why? Because it is. Is there anything prurient about the image? Um no, it's just indecent because we said so.
Well okay then, as long as we've cleared that up.