Yesterday I tried to promote a post on Facebook that contained the exact same pictures as this post but with one difference… My girlfriend was in those pictures.. She was dressed the same, she posed the same and portrayed the same.. The request for paid promotion got denied because there was nudity in the pictures.. Let’s see if we can get this post, with the same amount of nudity, promoted by Facebook. And make a point for equality.
Click here to see the original post where the fuzz is all about. Read the quote below to see what Marije says about this project!
“It’s very strange to me that my Facebook profile got shut down for posting pictures containing ‘nudity’ and ‘sexuality’. I see no vagina or penis in my pictures. I see no actions of any kind of sex being presented or promoted. I received no reaction of Facebook that initiated any kind of conversation. They just shut me up by shutting my profile down. So this is how they think we should deal with issues? By ignoring them? Shutting them down? Is this the example that a big company gives when it comes to dealing with gender equality? I am disappointed, a bit offended (because why do my nipples have less right to be seen than my boyfriend’s?) but mostly I am motivated to do something about it. It’s great that Stephan takes a stance and created the exact same pictures of him as we made of me. Exactly the same. Exactly. The. Same. Only his overall looks imply that the two one-quart-centimeters on his chest are man-nipples. And so Facebook decides that it’s okay. It’s not ‘nude’ and it is not ‘sexual’. This makes crystal clear what our point is. I hope a lot of women and men agree to gender equality on Social Media and are motivated to share this post or, even better, the original post!” – Marije Verheij
P.S. We are fully aware of way more important gender/race/other-issues in society that are bigger than we can ever understand. Our intention is to address this issue (gender equality on social media) via this small example to make it easier to make a stronger point.
Stephan de Haas 
Nice pictures of both of you, Stephan and Marije. Beautiful bodies, nicely captured.
I appeciate the art of photagrapy and I do think Facebook could have contacted you to explain to you or discuss with you why they feel the pictures are inappropriate.
But in the end I don’t support your statement.
Yes I agree on equal rights when in comes to the right of education, the right to vote, same salary and many more issues.
But the bodies of man and women are different and society responds different to their bodies.
At a public beach and in a public pool women wear bathing suits or bikini bottoms AND tops. Whereas men just wear trunks.
Facebook is a public medium where these common rules go as well.
Not to discriminate against women but to protect them from objectification by men. To protect women against nudity pictures going public against there will and more unwanted or socially unaccepted reasons.
They have to draw a line somewhere and can not allow nudity as a form of art or statement when they draw the line at nudity in general.
Should they not allow pictures with man nipples either in favor of sexual equality?
I’d say no because bare man chest are socially accepted in public places.
Therefor I do not support your statement. Not on this platform to be more specific.
In the end I do agree that all women should have equal rights and they should feel beautiful and confident and be able to flaunt their bodies when they like without a risk of being harassed or objectified.
Privately most women do have this freedom.
But that unfortunately is not how it works in public. Maybe simply because of biology maybe also because of bigger social issues.
It’s not up to Facebook to start a revolution…
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