Wednesday 27 February 2013

In which prudish Pinterest slaps me on the wrist


So I got an email from Pinterest.

“Hi eJane Alexander,
We removed a pin from your account because it contained nudity. It was originally pinned from the following address: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_macfecS6W41qjuse9o1_500.jpg.
We don't allow nudity—photos that show breasts, buttocks or genitalia—on Pinterest. This applies to pins on both public and secret boards.
Please remove any other pins you've added that contain nudity. If you don't follow our policies, your account could be suspended.
On behalf of the Pinterest community, we thank you for understanding.
The Pinterest Team”

Ouch. I felt like I’d been called into the headteacher’s office and chastised for, I dunno, smoking behind the bike sheds or locking a teacher in the music cupboard (guilty as charged for the latter; perfectly innocent on the former).

Actually I felt a bit embarrassed as, let’s be frank, some of my pins are in pretty poor taste. Like, er...the puddle people or those poor guys with stomachs that dangle on the floor. Why do they fascinate me so?  I dunno.  I know they shouldn’t but they do. However, when I plucked up courage to look at the offensive image, I found…this…

And, er...this is offensive?  In what way?  What exactly is wrong with nudity? With the human body devoid of clothes? I don’t pin porn (a sentence, come to think of it, that I could not have used until a year or so ago) - and I think this is rather beautiful.  For pity's sake, if you're being picky you can't even see any buttocks or breasts, and any genitalia present are deeply...shadowed.
And, see, what I don’t get is that it’s fine to pin stuff that (IMO) is pretty tasteless and tacky (and some might say offensive) as long as any erogenous zones are clothed.

So... this is fine...
Why? I mean, WHY?
But this isn't...
by Brad Miller...
This is perfectly acceptable...
He looks a bit familiar actually...from Authonomy maybe?
As is this...
I will never EVER complain about my boobs again.
But this, presumably, is not?
Put a furry thong on it for heaven's sake! 
Do you get it?  Cos I don't.  I really don't.  btw, for the sake of your eyes I restrained from posting more extreme examples.  If you want to see the really eye-popping stuff you'll have to do your own research.  

12 comments:

Greta said...

That's absurd. That picture they didn't like is beautiful. I don't know. I really don't know.

Very Bored in Catalunya said...

PMSL, I need to rinse my eyes out with acid now. Those pictures are a world of wrong, your pair of pretty buttocks are not.

Unknown said...

The same thing happened to me--and their Facebook page is full of complaints from other people as well. I ended up blogging the photos they removed (in one instance, on my husband's Pinterest, they blocked and removed a clothed woman!). It's sad. I deactivated my account because the way they are going it seems like they don't even follow their own TOS--supposedly non-photographic nude art is allowed, though they are blocking that as well, and as to the clothed people and some of the other things I have read about (furniture?), well...so sad. And stupid.

Anonymous said...

A perfectly decent, well executed and fairly attractive image, which is certainly more than can be said of some of the other examples!!

F said...

Thinking about ditching Pinterest altogether. Especially after reading this.

Found this:
http://www.roniloren.com/blog/2012/8/6/want-private-inspiration-boards-alternatives-to-pinterest.html

Was thinking about trying Bo.lt and Clipbard.

F said...

Or we could all go to Snatchly(.com), the Pinterest of porn. They'll neve get us the boot for buttocks.

Unknown said...

I'm guessing they may come after me next for the images I share of me breastfeeding my child.

Unknown said...

This is absolutely ridiculous to be perfectly honest! Crackers!

Emma Johnson said...

It screams idiots! Such a shame. Any chance of an appeal?

As a human who is naked all of the time (with some layers of fabric on top) I am taking it as a personal slight against humans.

CAMILLA said...

Hi Jane.!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the human body shown in it's bare form if it is shown beautifully, and that picture Jane is very beautiful.

As for the rest of the images, simply grotesque.!

I have The Three Graces Statue in full view in my front gardens to my property, should I cover them up.!

Unknown said...

Don't leave Pinterest Jane - it's where we met! ;(

D.J. Kirkby said...

Bare skin touching another person's bare skin! The horror! *plucks out own eyes*