‘It needs to change’: Instagram blocks Melbourne breastfeeding mural in several countries

When Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee posted a full-frontal naked photo on Instagram last month, it remained on the platform for at least five hours. But when videos showing a hand-painted Melbourne mural of two women breastfeeding were posted on the same site, they were removed within an hour in more than 40 countries.

These two images – one overtly sexual and one depicting a natural, nurturing practice – were managed in entirely different ways by social media giant Meta, bringing into question how the platform censors women’s bodies and how “explicit” content should be defined.

Artist Caroline Lejeune in front of her mural, “Breastralia”, in Collingwood.Credit:Kim Jane Photography

The 15-metre mural – painted by French-born artist Caroline Lejeune and aptly named Breastralia – was commissioned by infant accessories company Tommee Tippee to highlight the diversity of feeding journeys and the beauty of motherhood.

Lejeune posted videos of the mural to her Instagram feed shortly after its August unveiling in the heart of Collingwood. She then re-posted the clips to her personal story, which last for 24 hours on a user’s profile. Within an hour, Lejeune received a notification from Instagram stating that four of her stories had been removed due to uncensored content in several countries including Greece, Hungary, China and Belarus. The original video, however, remained accessible on Lejeune’s profile worldwide.

Caroline Lejeune’s Instagram story after content featuring her mural was blocked on the platform. Credit:Caroline Lejeune’s Instagram

“It’s such a disappointment that art showcasing the natural and necessary process of feeding has been minimised and redacted,” Lejeune said. “It needs to change.”

The artist said that women’s bodies are often sexualised – both online and in person – and monitored with a kind of hypervigilance not applied to men, leaving them at greater risk of criticism.

“We wanted to highlight two important aspects of early motherhood: all feeding journeys are different, and that feeding – or the depiction of feeding – should not be rooted in judgement,” Lejeune said.

“The banning of my video in tens of countries across the globe highlights the censorship of the female form, and why this mural is so important.”

Tommee Tippee’s brand manager, Linda Simoni, said the banning was “disappointing” and reflective of the type of gender-based stigma the mural set out to overcome.

“It’s time for society to stop stigmatising breastfeeding and censoring the female form – be it art, or in person,” Simoni said.

According to Instagram’s community guidelines, nudity – including exposure of the female nipple – is not permitted on the platform for a “variety of reasons”. However, in 2015, imagery of breastfeeding and health-related situations (such as post-mastectomy and breast cancer awareness) were made exceptions to the rule. Instagram now also allows posts related to birth-giving, after-birth moments and gender confirmation surgery.

“Nudity in photos of paintings and sculptures is OK, too,” the platform states in its guidelines.

As a painting depicting breastfeeding, Breastralia should be exempt from any policies against nudity. The Age sought an explanation for the content’s removal from Instagram (through its parent company Meta), but the company did not wish to provide comment.

Lejeune is especially frustrated about the content’s speedy removal when compared to the management of Tommy Lee’s controversial photo in August. Lee’s post showed not only his nipples, but also his penis. The image remained online for at least five hours, receiving more than 50,000 likes and numerous comments from followers, including pornography site PornHub.

“It’s a painful comparison that reminds us how the censorship and moderation of women’s bodies online is prioritised over men’s,” Lejeune said.

This is not the first time Meta has been criticised over its lack of a streamlined and equitable policy regarding nudity.

There has been a long-standing campaign to #FreeTheNipple, with both artists and celebrities calling on Instagram and Facebook to drop the ban of female nipples completely.

And in October 2020, Facebook’s Oversight Board – established to uphold freedom of expression and to monitor the platform’s automated moderation – accused the platform of using inaccurate automation to censor images of women’s bodies after a user in Brazil posted a picture showing breast cancer symptoms.

Facebook removed the picture because it contained female nipples, even though its context (breast cancer awareness) should have made it exempt from their nudity policy.

“As Facebook’s rules treat male and female nipples differently, using inaccurate automation to enforce these rules disproportionately affects women’s freedom of expression,” the board concluded.

Caroline Lejeune adding the finishing touches to her mural in Collingwood.Credit:Kim Jane Photography

Reflecting on her own case, Lejeune said she would like to see artificial intelligence “develop in a way that removes gender bias, and monitors social media platforms equally and fairly”.

But, as observed in research conducted by Tommee Tippee, the issue isn’t confined to the internet.

Though discriminating against someone for breastfeeding and child-rearing is illegal, 46 per cent of the Australian mums surveyed by the company said feeding negatively impacted their self-confidence, 74 per cent felt generally overlooked, and 66 per cent thought society belittled them as new mothers.

As a new mum, former Collingwood AFLW player Moana Hope understands these pressures. But she believes public artwork like Breastralia can help shake society’s judgmental gaze.

“As women, we’re constantly told to cover up or judged for how, where, when and even for how long we choose to feed,” she said. “What I love about this piece is that – aside from being in Collingwood, which holds a special place in my heart for obvious reasons – it’s just so real and honest. I’d love to see more monuments to motherhood like this in public spaces.”

Lejeune said she wants Breastralia to be seen as a “battle cry for women”: “I hope that by contributing emotive and inclusive pieces of art that celebrate and spotlight women, with or without a child, it will assist in normalising women’s bodies in society.”

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