As everyone is focusing so much on the war on Gaza, I picked a light comical war to focus on instead, the war on Nipples. As some of you may have heard, facebook deems showing of nips obscene including breastfeeding. Meanwhile, men’s nipples aren’t a problem. So I decided to post a picture of me made entirely with nipples. We will watch the fate of the photo on facebook as facebook removes photos arbitrarily.
In the beginning of the video, I was sitting at McDonald’s talking to myself.
People looked at me strangely as I videotaped myself lifting my shirt up to show my nips, yea…The project started like my influence video for obvious reasons, I needed to take my shirt off for lots of pictures of my nipples. I printed out the pictures in all different sizes, large nipples, small nipples, me pinching my nipples, NIPPLES NIPPLES NIPPLES, until hundreds of my nipples were starring back at me.
I really wanted to make sure people see nipples no matter how small the picture. I then spent 4hours planning where the pictures would go. The rest of the project was a lot like the Green River Killer piece, cutting and gluing the pictures together for what seems to be endless amount of hours, to create an image of myself as my profile photo on facebook.
Check to see if the picture is still up on Facebook.
I can just imagine facebook moderators arguing about whether the nipples in the picture are male or female nipples.
Hilarious stuff….my guy friend was just talking yesterday about taking a picture of himself breastfeeding a baby but this is also super awesome.
Remi – yeah I think the potential for this image getting pulled is pretty high.
Victoria – I think a man breastfeeding a baby would get removed for other reasons! hahaha. Glad you liked the piece. I hope the project as a whole continues to engage.
Why did Michelangelo give Adam a Belly button?
I think this is a great “test” as well. I suspect it will not be removed.
The thing that gets me though, most breastfeeding pictures I have seen do not show any “nip” at all. NONE! So I don’t see how they are being considered obscene if it’s all about nipples. It must have more to it than that. Being a breastfeeding mom myself, I am really considering leaving facebook if they do not reconsider their position on this subject. It is our legal right to breastfeed, in public, in most states. It is best for our children, it is natural and the norm in most of the world. So to call breastfeeding obscene, thus to me they are saying it’s pornographic, is completely insulting and I may have to leave as a matter of principle!
loved it so much I tweeted it. ha.
You go! I love it….what next…no covered nipples allowed Hmmm…no faces…oh lets not forget no bare forarms…….then it will be no bare skin at all….hmmm then do we have to cover our faces too???????
Because Michaelangelo knew something about Adam that religion doesn’t want YOU to know (wink!)
YAY fer nipples, btw :-) the pic is awesome! Any chance you can post a link to your facebook page????
I was hoping to add you on Facebook just to see your progress or be able to track the story. Could not find you, or did they pull it down already?
Good luck.
~m
Just say your iReport on CNN and it was hilarious!!
I’m a dude, but I think it’s massively sexist of FB to discriminate against chick-nips while allowing dude-nips. Actually, I’m pretty sure that violates some law or something… If they pull your photo/profile, you may have standing to file a suit. Check with a lawyer friend or something…
I added the link to my profile on facebook at the bottom of the post. or go to http://www.facebook.com/people/Phil-Hansen/860570095. It’s still there, woo!
Women want man boobs banned, no topless bathing ban
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24856979-5001021,00.html
This is amazing. Nice job.
so what next? A potrait picture made full of Penis pics?
Seems like someone has too much time on their hands.
Let’s see, even though FB is providing a free service to you, they’re apparently not allowed to make their own rules, however arbitrary they may be.
And since we’re talking about censorship, we’ll see if this comment makes it
I agree with Tommy. I don’t want my Godson seeing women’s nipples on FB because in our culture that’s not socially acceptable. I’d rather you create art on the war in Gaza. You are fortunate to be able to even use FB or have a computer. Or a job.
As far as nipples are concerned, I think there is a distinction between a breastfeeding picture and a girlsgonewild picture. Facebook didn’t bother with the nuance and went straight for an all out nipple ban. But it is a community, and hopefully the community’s concerns will win out. In the meantime, they’ve probably left your picture up because your nipples are so cute.
You are awesome. I added you to facebook. lol.
Nice nipples too. Very cute
I agree with facebook- why would someone want to show a picture of themselves breast feeding on facebook!
This is a wonderful example of art pushing social change along. I’m a 60 y/o grandfather with a nursing daughter who happens to be an artist also. I applaud your sense of style and ability to create a good visual argument in the extreme. The whole breast feeding ban by f/b is completely ridicules. There are many provocative videos on f/b and everywhere on the web. If you don’t appreciate the beauty of a child nursing, I suggest you self regulate the right index finger.
When I saw the “war on nipples” part of your post title, I thought this was going to be about something else entirely.
This is so hilarious to me! Good luck and I hope you and all of your many nipples get to stay on facebook!!
As a mom who nursed her 4 children well into toddlerhood, I would like to say I am happy to see a young man take a stand against such ridicules rules. There is nothing “dirty” about a woman’s breast, they are there to provide nutrition to our children. I think that if facebook wants to ban women’s breasts they should ban men’s too. Also they could just make a rule against sexually suggestive photos and then the breastfeeding photos would be allowed, but provocative photos wouldn’t. That sure would make things easier.
First off, I’m a boobie man. I love ‘em. However…
I agree with Tommy. Facebook is a free service. You can choose to use it, or use other social computing sites. Facebook has a right to create and enforce whatever rules they see fit. The only obligation they have is to protect your privacy, like any other site.
Look at it this way, if you are on a bloggers site, and are able to upload an attachment as a comment, and the attachment was a picture of a breast (for whatever reason), are you saying the blog administrator doesn’t have the right to enforce his or her rules and delete that picture?
Everyone, however, is welcome to voice an opinion on the issue. That’s one of our rights and what we’re doing here.
Too funny! I will never understand why women’s breasts are porn…
THIS TOTALLY RULES!!! I love it! Not only is it for a fantastic cause, the art is awesome! Keep it up!!
Yes, Facebook has a right to create and enforce whatever rules they want… and artists have a right to try to push for social change, and perhaps foster an environment where Facebook doesn’t feel the social pressure to buckle under and enforce said rules. Everyone’s playing by the rules here. Enjoy the game!
Hilarious! Thanks for the laugh :)
True they have the right, however the users have the responsibility of putting ‘questionable’ content like nips into a private album viewable by certain people.
Love the pic by the way. :) Nicely done!
To Wett Blankette above, who said: “I don’t want my Godson seeing women’s nipples on FB because in our culture that’s not socially acceptable.” — I ask you: if Facebook allowed women’s nipples, wouldn’t you push for them to NOT allow that? So as to protect the innocent nipple-free retinas of your Godson?
Maybe you wouldn’t. But I find it funny how the nipple-frightened masses are always so quick to defend places that enforce anti-nipple rules with: “Well, Facebook is a private company and can have whatever rules they want!” — but if Facebook suddenly allowed nipples to be shown, you can bet these same people would gasp and sputter: “Facebook is a PUBLIC forum and is therefore no place for nipples!”
This is hilarous.
The thing I find ironic is that breastfeeding pictures do not even show the nipple. If the kid is breastfeeding, you can’t see the nipple. So is the Facebook rule no breastfeeding pics or no female nipples? If it is just no female nipples – then breastfeeding pics should be fine in most cases and Facebook is sexist and should just say no nude or sexual pictures instead.
By the way, I would never post a pic of myself breastfeeding anyway (and I have done it – even with twins!).
Anitomica: Facebook is removing breastfeeding pics from private albums, too. This issue is bigger than just an argument about whether Facebook is within their rights (they are). Facebook is simply blindly pandering to an irrational fear-based societal reflex against body parts that give life and sustenance to babies. The real issue is for society to stop embracing the fear! Fear is the most offensive body part of all.
Great job! American’s are obsessed with nipples. If they weren’t then it wouldn’t be such a big deal. It always fascinated me that violence is ok but nipples aren’t.
I recently noticed that Scarface was on network TV. All the violence was there, blood spattering everywhere, but the one scene with nudity was edited out. Go figure.
Sex = bad and Violence = good. This makes no sense.
If the premise is that having sex on TV promotes underage sex and unwanted pregnancies then surely violence on TV promotes violence in real life. You can’t accept one without the other.
Sure people talk big about ending violence on TV but these same people are the card carrying NRA rednecks who think it’s just fine for everyone on the street to have a firearm on them.
Violence kills. Nipples don’t. Yay for nipples!!!!
As another poster mentioned, there’s nothing dirty about women’s nipples. Heck no, there isn’t! I’d be happy to eat dessert off of them every day!
That is fantastic.
You have entirely too much time on your hands.
Too funny. You made my day (and disgusted a co-worker). But, it’s not like I’m showing photos of a woman’s nipple at work, so I guess that makes it ok? ;-)
Brilliant! Of course, given my hobby, I would think so. Keep on!
YOU ROCK..HAHAHA
I love this.. I had three of my pictures banned…
[...] are not banned from Facebook — clearly male nipples are acceptable — so Phil decided to create a profile photo for himself from a collage of pictures of his own nipples. The result is brilliant. He posted the video of him creating the photo on [...]
IT’S GONE!!! OH NOES!
Dude – that is so freaking funny! Best thing i’ve seen on the internet this week next to animoto. If you make a nipple video on animoto send please post it. And use my referral code (bkagspolx) http://animoto.com/?ref=bkagsolx
Love the Bruce Lee Painting too! Awesome!
Your “art” is amazing. As a mom it’s insulting that people and Facebook concern themselves with breastfeeding photos when there are so many explicit photos on Facebook.
Your creation has now been shared with thousands of moms on http://www.canadianparents.com/
Thank You
so if you make a portrait of a nipple out of faces, that’s not gonna fly either I guess?
[...] out Phil Hansen’s “test” with facebook. Quite funny what he’s done. It appeared on CNN’s [...]
you cant let them win…. the wars not over! you have them right were you want them.
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