Joanne Jackson
FACEBOOK REMOVES MASTECTOMY PICS
Joanne Jackson wanted a way to commemorate her fight with breast cancer, which ended with a mastectomy. So she had a professional photo shoot. Ms Jackson decided to post the pictures on Facebook for ‘inspiration’ but had the photos removed by Facebook as they were deemed ‘pornographic’.
“I took breast cancer and the mastectomy in my stride and decided it wasn’t going to stop me living my life. It wasn’t going to define who I was, and it didn’t make me any less attractive as a woman,” she said.
“My attitude was to just get on with it. I knew I could kick cancer’s ass and I did. The images aren’t fluffy, they are real and I am very proud of them.”
Facebook also removes pictures of breastfeeding mothers.
A while ago, Mamamia has posted about the SCAR Project, series of large-scale portraits of young breast cancer survivors shot by fashion photographer David Jay. Take a look:
Here’s what else is on our radar today:
1. Bullies need not apply. Clubs New South Wales has started a new program in which graduates aged 17-22 who used to be bullies in high school can be refused employment after a character check.
Marcella Marino
3. This four-year-old girl Marcello Marino was sent home from school on picture day because her hair looked like this. Her father is a hairstylist.
4. Costco is scouting for new Australian locations after enjoying a pretty successful membership drive. Costco had three warehouse stores in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra … are you a fan of the bulk buy?
5. Unmarried defence personnel are losing out against their married mates as budget cuts pare back entitlements like free, annual flights home. Married members are allowed six a year.
6. An Israeli man has filed for divorce after his wife adopted 550 cats. Yes, 550.
Comments
60 Comments so far
The soldiers are on a tax- free income and get paid well – I agree with the earlier comment … they can take out travel insurance.
Joanne and the other lady featured in the SCAR Project photo – you both look beautiful! – very courageous of you … shine on
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Wow. Drug smuggling worse than terrorism? I know that everything in life is seen through the lens of culture, but ti seems like basic human values are being stomped on here! What about the right of hundreds of people to live their innocent lives without fear (not ‘in terror’), and what about the fact that taking drugs is a choice, not a requirement?
Not sure if I could bring myself to visit Indonesia … such different values than I’ve grown up with plus corruption makes me very nervous.
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post mastectomy pictures and breast feeding mothers? These images are so far from pornographic.
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What is wrong with your forum. I tried to register my account from 1 hour. I have seen some strange errors about your database etc.. Please check it, becouse i supposed that you will lose your members
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The Defence cuts are a pay cut to those affected. This govt has cut $5.5 bn from Defence in this budget alone and is giving out $5.5 bn in handouts. The Defence minister uses RAAF planes to fly him to watch his kids play sport. They are targeting the “weakest links” here. Soldiers don’t have a union and can’t protest or strike if they don’t agree with te actions of their employer they just have to take it.
A good friend of mine is married to a soldier (as am I) they have a 21 year old daughter in the RAAF and a 22 year old son in the army. The only time their family is all together is at Christmas when the kids use their reunion travel to book flights home for Christmas. These flights are expensive, due to the nature of their jobs they can’t book well in advance and they can’t book the cheap non refundable fares. Their family is going to take a massive hit from this. Plus as singles and a couple with grown up kids they are going to be hit with the full force of the carbon tax. How is any of this fair? How can a govt that gave itself massive payrises last year turn around and make Defence member take a pay cut? Fairs fair and cutting the benefits of young soldiers is not at all fair!
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There’s the defence association which is for representation of Defence members. You can fly home anytime – we were always told to get travel insurance for those just in case times when you couldn’t travel at the last minute. I think it’d be pretty rare to not know what you’re doing a long time in advance and for that to be changed at the last minute.
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the title ‘Facebook “bants” these breast cancer pics’ is irritating me… pleeeeease fix it. Thanks!
And on the subject, Facebook is a free service. If you don’t like the conditions, don’t use it. I’m not offended or confronted by the photos, but it is up to Facebook to decide on the conditions for their own site. Regardless of the context they are nude pictures and Facebook’s conditions categorically disallow nudity on the site.
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I’ve been thinking about this. Yes, Facebook is a free service, but that free service also makes shit-tins of money from the people using their “free service” and have floated at $38 a share!
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Shame on facebook for removing those photo’s!! These brave women are embracing their survival and have every right to proudly display their scars if they so choose. There are plenty of guys that have photo’s of themselves at the beach, wearing just shorts – that’s far more pornographic than these tasteful portraits!
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What’s with all the hoo haa about facebook removing the shots, facebook are providing a free service to people, they are entitled to set whatever terms and conditions they like in relation to use and if you don’t like it don’t use facebook. Also I think your information about breastfeeding photos is now outdated – if you search the help section you’ll clearly note that breastfeeding shots are allowed.
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I hate to say it but I agree with this. I do think banning the photos is a stupid and mean thing to do but the fact remains that Facebook is free to set its own terms and conditions. It’s not a government department or a public service, and as such doesn’t really owe its users anything beyond what it states.
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Agreed. Why does everything need to be shared on fb?
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I love Rick’s news sections and miss his more in-depth news articles! Was a great place to get my news first thing in the morning….
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Those picture are so very confronting and heart wrenching. I am not sure they belong on Facebook but they are an important reminder of the reality so many women face.
I love Costco, it’s the best! With a family of five the savings are extraordinary.
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Look at that 4 year olds sad little face! I think it’s a bit mean of the school to do that, sending her home. If it was really that important to them they could have done one class photo with her and one without, or even photo-shopped her hair out.
On the breast cancer photos I don’t understand what the fuss is about. A no nudity clause is a no nudity clause. With the breastfeeding photos I think that was pretty silly because in many of the photos you couldn’t see any breast at all but with these photos the women are topless. I think they are great photos and I don’t have a problem with nudity but Facebook can make whatever policies they want.
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I like the no nudity clause on facebook. I know it is enforced imperfectly but the general policy is good. I understand the idea behind this photo, and support it, but pick your context. I don’t want to see photos like that come up in my newsfeed. Or of breastfeeding, or the like. I support seeing these photos in other contexts, but not on Facebook.
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But they’re people’s lives and important to them, and that’s what Facebook’s all about, isn’t it? Sharing your life with your friends?
I think it’s rough that it’s someone’s friend complaining about the pics to have them removed. Like that story this week about baby Grayson – some “friend” complained and FB removed the photos of him. He was alive for a very short time and was born with a birth defect. The family posted photos with him and they were complained about and deleted. Charming. Such was the uproar that FB reinstated them.
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I feel discriminated all the time for being single- not just in the workplace.
All workers should be treated equal and to say that someone’s personal life is more important simply because they’re married is an absolute joke. I have no problem with my taxes funding flights for people who courageously defend our country and it’s selfish to think otherwise.
Another example is when married people or those with children get priority over the Christmas period. Sure it’s nice for the children to have their parents at Christmas but the reason shouldn’t matter. All workers must be treated equally.
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The current defence travel situation actually favors single people. Married members or members with recognized partners, who are collocated, don’t get a free trip home to their parents or next of kin.
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No but married members get plenty of other benefits eg separation allowance. It all evens out in the end.
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I am not sure I feel strongly enough about it to use the word ‘discriminated’, but I hear you.
Single people with less family responsibilities tend to pick up slack in the office due to other people’s school holidays, part-time arrangements and sick kiddies. It does bother me sometimes but I try to counter this in my brain with the knowledge that should I need to look after a family member one day (e.g. aged parent) then hopefully I will receive the same support and understanding.
The one time being single really shits me is in the lead up to an election or budget. EVERYTHING is about “working families”! I feel most sorry for single elderly people who seem to miss out constantly, but if you are a single young to middled aged person you might as well not exist…
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the little girls hair looks fabulous! such a shame she was sent home after her dad put all that effort into it.
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It confuses me – did the school think she somehow did it without her parents permission? In the loos 5 minutes before the photo perhaps? It’s obviously something her parents intended to be on her head for the picture. So unless they are a super strict school and having a school photo like this would damage their brand (for example, if she were school captain or similar, and they needed it for the brochure) why not just take the damn photo?
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And she’s FOUR! What kind of school discriminates against the hairstyle of a four-year-old? Not one my child is going to, heck its a challenge doing anything with her hair.
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I don’t even see how this is style is offensive (I think it’s super-cute!) even if she WAS school captain. It’s not like she a rude word shaved into her hair! What IS going on???
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Amazing pictures of breast cancer victims. As a non-sufferer, I have never seen this side of it because it is so taboo in our society. To see these women embracing their new bodies, they almost looked empowered. Good on them for being courageous enough to share so that we can see what it is really like for them. Thanks to them.
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I Agree – such brave women,thank you for sharing
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Let’s be more balanced about the Defence cuts to travel.
Married members are allowed six flights home TO THEIR SPOUSE (or recognized partner) IF they are posted away to another location for more than six months. Most spouses that live away from their partners do so because they can’t find suitable employment in the new posting location, or because they require stability for key years in their children’s education, (for example if a posting out of state falls in between a child’s year eleven and twelve studies, one parent might stay behind for a year to care for the child.) This is a relatively uncommon occurrence.
Single members were previously getting one flight home a year to their nominated next of kin, usually their mum or dad. Once they marry or have an approved “interdependent partner” (ie, kind of a defacto, of either gender) in their current posting location, then their flights home to mum stop.
While our government is rolling out widespread Defence cutbacks, I would much rather have the funds we do have spent on more ammunition and training rather flights home for single members.
Just my two cents.
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I disagree – home is home regardless of whether it is to a partner/spouse, or to mum and dad. Job entitlements are job entitlements, no discrimination.
Just for the record I am a married mother of 3, both my husband and I travel for work, and it would not be ok to me if I got (for example) a phone allowance to ring home to my family, while single colleagues didnt get the same.
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The current entitlements actually favor single members. To even it up, fairly, all members would need to be given one annual trip home to their town of origin. Currently the vast majority of married, collocated members get no free trips anywhere.
I do think there is a vast difference between a member who has decided to join the military, and knowingly moved away from their home town, not expecting their parents to be able (or want!) to come too; compared to someone who has been ordered to move to a location mid career that is vastly unsuitable for their spouse and children, with whom they would expect to be collocated.
From a business management perspective, the costs of the flights for reuniting the “married separated” members six times a year is most likely far lower than the cost of replacing the members who would leave if they were posted to an family-unsuitable location without reunion flights.
Additionally, and I’m broadly generalizing here, many of the members who request to go married separated have been in Defence for a considerable length of time, have cost a bucket load in training, and have skills that take a great deal of time and experience to replicate. They aren’t worth losing for a few bucks.
I suspect it would be unlikely that the majority of single members would leave Defence over one flight home year.
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That little girl’s hair is too cute!
Drug smuggling worse than terrorism.. riiiiight..
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I love the hair!
I might agree with them on the drug smuggling though, which one kills more people and ruins more lives? I don’t have the stats, but I do have my suspicions…
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Yeah that’s true.But the crime of smuggling drugs is predominantly done with the intent of getting paid for it. An act or terrorism is done with the aim of slaughtering people.
If we’re talking which individual criminal is the worst – schappelle corby or one of the bali bombers, for me there is no comparison, regardless of the statistics.
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Ahh, but an act of terrorisim is for perceived ethical reasons (by the terrorists, obviously – “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”) while, as you said, drugs are just for profit. So, morally, at least the terroritsts believe what they are doing is right.
Still, I agree that Schapelle is small beans compared to the bombers. I know which one I’d prefer to have free!
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Yeah that’s true. But then again, some of the worst things in the world have been done by people who believe they are doing the right thing. I would argue that doing bad things for the right reason is just as bad as being greedy and doing things for profit. Bad things are bad things.
I guess that is what separates normal people from criminals – a criminal is willing to do something bad (steal,murder, smuggle etc) for what they perceive to be a worthwhile reason (profit, their own believes etc), whereas a normal person would be unwilling to commit the crime because it’s wrong, regardless of the pay off or reason.
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9 times out of 10 someone has to report a photo before it get’s deleted. If you want to post breastfeeding/masectomy/random topless pictures, just keep you account private. If your photo’s still get deleted, take it up with your friends and family, because you can bet one of them reported it.
I actually think it’s a good thing the photo was removed. If she had both breasts it would never be allowed, whatever the context. To not delete this picture would be saying that because she has had a masectomy, there’s nothing sexual about her body anymore.
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I accidentally reported a photo once! I felt really bad. Lets blame it on sleep deprivation..
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I agree with you 100%. I love the photo gallery and am happy to see the beautiful pictures, but if the point of the project is to help the women to still feel attractive and sexual, post-mastectomy, then they should take it a sign of success that the photos were considered not suitable for facebook.
Personally, I have no issues with nudity, but I think it makes sense to have a no-nudity clause on facebook.
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Just goes to show you can be worth billions of dollars and still be a moron. Facebook should be ashamed, there are worse things out there and we should be congratulating this woman for being so brave.
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Not fair to cut the soldiers flights home. They might not have a wife/husband and kids but they still have parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents and extended family and friends. They’re already not on a huge wage so I hardly think it’s fair to cut their opportunities to visit their family.
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Sorry I am with Facebook , I dont wish to view this on facebook. Please keep it to yourself, and in the mean time I hope you have a speedy recovery,
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Then don’t go to this woman’s page and look!! It’s not as though it’s a push site – you only see what you seek. If her friends want to see her photos and celebrate her survival with her, then what is it to you??
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oh relax silverdragon, fb are banning these photos so I, along with others dont have to view… … With fb If she posts these photos without keeping them private unfortunately some of her friends of friends see them… & personally I…. AND I DONT WANT TO……
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Secondly if someone has prostate cancer do we really need to see the testes cut off.,…. NO we DONT…. Lets keep calm and keep things private…
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Big difference between breasts and testicles I say!
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I think they look awesome!!
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Natasha – FFS you dont have your testes removed when you have prostate cancer.
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Oh Anonymous, FFS why dont you look up the work ORCHIDECTOMY and learn something today….
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Sorry this is on Mama Mia, which is disturbing enough…I am just not interested
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Gees, Anonymous, hope YOU never get cancer!! It’s amazing to see survivors looking great.
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Disappointing to hear about the cuts to the single diggers’ flights home, bordering on discrimination if you ask me.
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I kind of like the fact that facebook still deems that photo pornographic. I like that they still see her as being sexually provocative despite the fact that one breast is missing. She is a gorgeous, topless woman…
And i get that a uniform, “no toplessness” is easier to moderate than having to judge each picture and make a subjective decision.
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I thought the same thing actually. In a perverse kind of way, it is almost a compliment or at least an acceptance and normalisation of naked bodies being seen as sexual despite their differences.
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I see people post photos on Facebook that include nudity in a sexual context, girls kissing for show etc. and this is apparently less offensive than the photo above and breastfeeding mothers? What a disgusting world we live in. I feel like deleting my account in protest.
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Just do it and stop comp complaining
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If i could swear at you on this site and get away with it, I would! She had a valid point!
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How terrible that Joanne’s photo was removed. A friend of a friend recently posted a photo shoot on his facebook page that looked straight out of zoo/picture. Incredibly suggestive provocative (cheap) poses, nothing more than a gstring and finger tips covering nipples. I don’t understand how this is allowable but
mastectomy photos are not?
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Well, did anyone report your acquaintance’s photo shoot? Facebook doesn’t just trawl through everyone’s images looking for offensive ones. Members see them and report them and then (I assume) they make a judgment call about whether they’re going to remove them or not.
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1. Facebook policies on mastectomy pictures and breastfeeding pictures: tactless, mean and shortsighted!
2. Marcella’s hair looks beautiful.
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Yep meant to say that about Marcella’s hair too!
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