【1979 Archives】

Source：Co-creation Information Network Editor：Science Time：2025-06-26 19:03:34

On Tuesday979 Archives Facebook decided to block a video advertisement, stating that the ad violated their guidelines around sexual content.

However, the ad was merely for a collection of artwork to be auctioned off and the "sexual content" was actually a piece of artwork.

Mossgreen, the auction house in Australia who's behind the ad, has spoken out against Facebook's ban. Mossgreen's chief executive, Paul Summer, told The Guardian, "I can’t quite believe it, to be honest. I feel I’m not living in the 21st century. It’s like Facebook are living in the 1950s."

SEE ALSO: Hackers didn't lock you out of your Facebook account. Facebook did.

The specific piece of art in question is "Women Lovers" by Charles Blackman. The piece features two nude women laying next to each other. One of the women's breasts is exposed, but all other genitalia are not.

Mossgreen had included the painting in a video featuring artwork that would be auctioned at an upcoming event. The Guardian reported that Mossgreen was told by Facebook that the video could not be promoted as an ad because "it violates ad guidelines by advertising adult products or services including toys, videos or sexualising enhancement products."

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"We see images on Facebook constantly of people semi-dressed on beaches. There is nothing sexual about this artwork," Summer stated to The Guardian. "It is just a beautiful image of two women, one lying with her back facing the viewer, and to ban it because you can see a little bit of definition on the other woman’s nipple is just ridiculous."

This is not the first time Facebook has banned photos and artwork from their website for supposed sexual content violations.

A year ago, a Parisian teacher found his Facebook account suspended after he posted a photo of a painting to his timeline. That painting, similarly to "Women Lovers," featured female genitalia. In this instance, a Paris court actually ruled Facebook could be sued due to this action.

Then in September, Facebook came under fire from Norway for removing a historic photo from the Vietnam War which depicted people running from a napalm attack. Facebook had removed the photo because a little girl at the center of the photo was nude. After the push back, Facebook announced that it would reinstate the photo.

Just a month later, Facebook found itself apologizing again after the social media site suspended accounts of people who merely posted a photo of a cat wearing a business suit.

The ban on "Women Lovers" is actually not even the first instance of Facebook banning artwork in 2017. In January, Facebook blocked a photo of the 16th century statue of Neptune in Italy, also stating that it violated advertising guidelines due to sexual explicitness. Facebook again apologized for the ban after the fact and said that it had made a mistake.

It's clear that Facebook still has much more work to do when it comes to differentiating between truly offensive sexual content and displays of art meant to celebrate the human body.

Featured Video For You

Facebook's new Privacy Basics

Previous：How to Merge and Remove Duplicate Contacts in Android

Next：Bangladesh vs. New Zealand 2025 livestream: Watch ICC Champions Trophy for free

【1979 Archives】

Related Articles

Related Recommendations

Categories

Latest Articles

Popular Articles

Hot Recommendations

Featured Column

Quick Links

Quick Links