Yesterday I got censored. To be honest I was expecting it to happen. I have a fan page for Show Us Ya Tits on Facebook called Show Us Ya Ta-Ta’s (Tits is a no-no word on Facebook so I went with Ta-Ta’s). It is just there to update people on my ongoing photography project about breasts, share breast related news stories and show a few pics. And by few I mean like, five. Facebook has allegedly has a policy about not showing nudity in their images so I always knew at some point Facebook would remove me, or at least my images. It’s just that I thought they would remove all of my images.
So today they did remove pictures, but not as I expected. They only removed the image of me at the recent opening of my exhibition in Fremantle with my 84-year-old Grandmother’s saggy naked bosom in the background, and the image of my nephew breastfeeding (that in an ironic twist I had only uploaded to support a Facebook petition aimed at rectifying the censorship of breastfeeding images). They left the images of the lovely Sexpo Showgirls and their enhanced breasts, the image of the wet t-shirt competition (girls just wanna have fun right?!) and the image of a recently augmented breast, floating in the light of the operating theatre.
So two things; Firstly I am totally stoked. Facebook has just proved that the series I have been photographing for the last five years has a valid point. And secondly I am totally angry that still, still, in 2010 mainstream media is dictating that as long as breasts are young, and shown in a sexual context then they are okay. If they are aged, practical or in any way outside the ‘normal’ standard then they are to be hidden away.
For me Show Us Ya Tits has been about trying to rectify some of that drivel we get fed about women’s bodies through mainstream media, by showing that women’s bodies are fantastic because of their differences. And the intention of the series, which I have been photographing and exhibiting for five years, is to make a difference to the relationships women have with their bodies. The work is comprised of portraits of women from an 11-year-old girl developing breasts and talking about their newfound currency in the classroom, to women with mastectomies, and again to my 84-year-old Grandmother’s saggy sunbaked bosom. As context to these portraits is my documentation of the situations in which breasts are displayed in popular culture –wet t-shirt competitions, augmentation operations, bra parties, and breastfeeding.
I started tentatively at first – unsure how to articulate my intent in such a way to entice to women to undress for me. So I dove in with the familiar, my friends and family, but have now interviewed more women than I can count (well than I have counted). The interest in the project has been overwhelming. Some women have flooded me with tales and some have given me stilted monosyllabic stories – though voluntary participation has become my first criteria. One woman told me she had been waiting for years to tell the story of her breast reduction, and that seeing herself on the gallery wall had made her feel, for the first time, that her scarred breasts were beautiful.
At this point I have to note that my work is not intended to be discriminatory. I think young, fake, perky, perfect breasts are totally beautiful. I think women who have those breasts should be celebrated as much as I think women who have lost breasts to mastectomy should be celebrated. It’s like the thin vs. fat debate. Or if we want, the men vs. women debate. Just as I consider that calling myself a Feminist (which I proudly am) does not automatically make me a man hater, so too do I think that championing the need for all breasts to be given a fair viewing in the images we feed through our mainstream media does not mean I am against putting silicone in your chest. Thin is beautiful, plastic is beautiful. But so too is fat and droopy. Those arguments that pit thin against fat, man against women are archaic; outdated and unnecessary. What I am arguing when I take photos of twins breastfeeding, or a woman with a mastectomy is that media feeds us a load of bullshit and it makes people sick. It makes women hate their bodies. It makes women waste their lives fighting a tide of self loathing because they are never shown what a spectrum of shapes and sizes we come in.
And now Facebook has proved me right. Bummer. The image at the top of the page is the one they left. The image below is the one they took. Now you tell me, what’s so wildly offensive about one, that is not offensive about the other?
Nothing, its beautiful. More beautiful I would say.
I feel that this photo of the baby breastfeeding is just showing nature in one of its finest moments. I totally would have thought the sexy one would have been censored. Don’t get me wrong, I think they are both great photos, but to censor such a beautiful one as this is, is just plain stupid!!
One of these photos fills my heart with love and fills me with emotions such as hope, purity, inncocence. A bubba with his mumma, the bond is true and sacred and the photo portrays all this beauty… offended, if anything I feel the opposite, defensive.
Hi Gem. Just been to see ‘Ya Teets’ again with a friend. We’ve both spent days doing the rounds of the FotoFreo shows. We both agree that your show as easily in the top 6-7. Good, straight forward, no nonsense doco work. Luv it. Can’t wait to see how your next project works. Rog
The world needs more people like you Gemma. Keep up the awesome, inspiring and life-affirming work.
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Go Gems, I expect the Facebook censors were men, heh? I completey agree with you, the graceless media make subjective choices for us and they are usually wrong!!
Beautiful work, keep it up!
I only wish I had more bosoms for you to photograph Gem
This is articulate and wonderful. I could praise it inarticulately, but I am pretty sure you know what I am trying to say and I will restrain myself from posting quotes from Futurama.
Well by publishing a picture of a blonde, blue-eyed boy-cherub you are reinforcing a white anglo-saxon male (‘Aryan’, even) stereotype of what a good little boy sucking on a boob is supposed to look like. What about all those dark skinned, bung-eyed kids who suck boobs every day?!? What about all the Papua New Guinea mamas who suckle their PIGLETS?!?!? You are perpetuating entrenched societal norms! You have betrayed the majority world! I am going to submit your name to the Anarcho-Femmo Syndicalist Collective for a vote of SHAME!!! SHAME GEMMA SHAME! SHAME GEMMA SHAME! WWABT? (What Would Anna Bligh Think?).
Also I don’t think you need an apostrophe in ‘gazoongas’.
Well done Gemma!
I am originally from Murwillumbah but now live in the UK and a friend of mine from Facebook (She is a lactivist from Montreal) posted the article about this from abc.com.au…
I am disgusted by the hypocrisy of Facebook and as a soon to be Mum, even more so of the censorship of breastfeeding women and images…
I hope you don’t mind but I also posted the article to my Facebook page and hope that others are made aware of this sexist censorship… (BTW- I joined your ‘gazoongas’group… Well done again and beautiful work
we need NEWS OUTLETS on this shameful double standard!!!!
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After viewing your body of work, I couldn’t help but to feel touched with a bit of pride for my own saggy, much-loathed tits. I have hated them my entire life. They are huge. Always have been. Last year they fed twin girls. For eleven months. How could I feel anything but pride? Unfortunately, Facebook (along with the rest of mainstream media) would not understand why I can love my breasts ONLY because they nurtured two beautiful babies.
Also? Holy hell, Cranky seems to have her/his/their (Cranky your so GREAT at grammar, help me out!) own concept for a body of work. Why are they bitching YOU out for not creating it FOR them? Perhaps Cranky is too stupid to understand bringing an artistic concept into life. Perhaps Cranky can’t appreciate a woman’s efforts to better womankind. And that being a white female, you probably identify with white female subjects. And it’s YOUR ART. Not Cranky’s. Maybe Cranky is a man.
Message to dear Cranky….what would have you carry that incredibly beige soap box around with you? Your heart must be sad being held so tightly closed. And I am sad it has impacted your ability to see the light and love in the image of the child feeding from his mother. To view the world this way can only lead to misery (oh you would know that well). Gemma (i am certain) celebrates all womens breasts (‘ or no ‘..that is the question…oh and who give a f#kc). Black, white, saggy, surgically changed, small, large and gorgeous. And she probably celebrates all kinds of fools. Thanks for showing up as one.
Gemma…you go girl!
Thanks for all your support! I have to jump in and stick up for Cranky, he is a good friend and just having a joke. It is his unique brand of humour so please don’t take offense (we are from Australia). He is actually totally supportive of the project. Thanks again to all of you for getting involved – the ABC has been running this story if you want to check it out http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/30/2860405.htm?section=justin
I breastfed both of my sons. It was the most beautiful experience that I could ever have had. To be able to sustain life with the bounties that God has given us, nothing is as amazing. I stood up to every look and critisism because I knew it was best for my child. When asked to go into the bathroom in a public place, I told them I would, when everyone else fed their children in the bathroom. Not once did I hide. Seeing this beautiful photograph of a breastfeeding baby brings joy to my heart because I know that there is a love there, a bond being formed, a life being sustained, and God at work. Of all of the things I miss now that my boys are older, breastfeeding is what I miss most. Holding my child in my arms, with their little arms barely able to hold me back, and the look in their eyes, full of the knowledge that this was an important defining moment in our lives… each time. Breastfeeding is beautiful.
go Gemma – how did we all get so perverted about gazoongas!!!
good luck and if you ever want wall space for the exhibition at Kingscliff – give us a yell.
Wow. I never thought this would be something I would support, being a “strict” member of the LDS church and very anti-pornography. However, I am very impressed. With you Gemma. I’m so glad a friend of mine posted this on Facebook so I could see it and follow it. Thank you for this, you’re doing something great. Oh, and I have to say, Facebook is so incredibly F*cked up.
Fb are totally out of order. double standards all over the place. where can we complain?
The photograph of your nephew feeding is just beautiful. I belong to the Facebook “lactivist” sites and what they are doing makes me so angry.
What you are doing is wonderful.
Honestly, when I first opened up your page, I was appalled! I had to forcefully read the read of the page. I am glad I did — in a way. Is it not sad that the first picture stayed and the breastfeeding one was taken off?
I am 25 years old and 31 weeks pregnant and have had my fair share of showing off my breasts when they were young and perky. Now they’ve become pimpled and enlarged.
You are absolutely right; we should embrace every stage of our bodies from adolescence to over the hill. I still have issues with seeing my body in the mirror but every day my husband tells me how beautiful I am and how much he loves my body now more than ever. I know I should be more self confident but it helps to hear it from someone else.
FYI, I can’t wait to breast feed my baby. And if someone tells me to cover up, I’m going to hand them a blanket and tell them to cover there own heads.
‘pretty sure “Cranky” is totally joking- pointing out how hard it is to avoid offending anyone. I think these photos are all beautiful- thanks for sharing them- and it IS really amazing the FB censored the nursing photo & not the showgirls photo. wow. that says it all.
It is far more of a piece of art than the show girls. I agree, fake boobs are beautiful but I think the rest of the ta tas in the world need to be shown! I think what you are doing is awesome! Keep up the great work!
This is awful! Just sick–FB is a microcosm of the bigger world, which is OFFENDED at the naturalness of the body….makes me just LIVID.
Look at that look of love in his eyes and tell me there is anything wrong with such an image, some people really need to step out of the darkness and appreciate life, love and all it has to give.
having participated in a few virtual nurse-ins on FB, i’m well aware of their ridiculous policy around breastfeeding photos. rest assured, we *will* continue to fight the good fight
Heaven forbid a picture of a boob being put to one of its better uses ever be shown! Perhapse if you’d taken a photo of a boob with face painted on it it would have been left alone? As a former lactivist I must say when I did start breast feeding I was so glad to know those things could do something besides give me black eyes while running!
I LOVE that picture of your nephew breastfeeding! Can you take one like that of me feeding my daughter? Beautiful!!!!
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i find the first image much more offensive then the child breastfeeding, i also find seeing a 14 year old girl flaunt her body over facebook (even without having to show nipples) way more offensive then a child feeding from the only REAL source!
You are right on sister! After 2 breastfed babies, mine are a bit, ok a lot droopy and I used to be self conscious about them and then I decided who cares, I have awesome healthy kids and I would trade perky boobs for that anyday! By the way, the pic is tooo sweet.
The sight of a baby looking into it’s mothers eyes while feeding
so humbling .My wife has breast fed three children which i am so grateful for, yes her breasts have changed shape and i love them more than ever.
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That is so awful. So nudity isn’t allowed, well, unless it is really sexual nudity that turns on the guys who do the policing, then it is.
My 3 year old saw the bottom picture and he just said “Oh, it’s somebody nursing, it’s a little boy nursing” It makes me so happy that he knows what the normal use for breasts are.