Nudity rules on Facebook stopped a Danish politician from publishing a photo of the iconic statue Little Mermaid in Copenhagen.
The bronze figure is 102 years old, and the nude woman based on the fairytale by renowned Danish author Hans Christian Andersen is one of Copenhagen’s most visited tourist spots. It is situated along the Langeline promenade.
Social Democrat MP Mette Gjerskov received a rejection notification from the site when she wanted to post a small image of the bronze statue on her blog last month. The message stated that the image contained “too much bare skin or sexual undertones” and added that the rules applied even if an image had “artistic or educational purposes”.
Facebook claims it restricts nudity because “some audiences within their global community may be sensitive to this type of content.”
In an interview with Ekstra Bladet, Gjerskov says the issue is “totally ludicrous”.
In March 2015, the site clarified its rules on nudity and said that it does allow photos of paintings, sculptures and other art that depicts nude figures.
The social network has realized its mistake and re-added the post.
This is not the first piece of Danish art to be removed from a Facebook blog. In September, Facebook blocked a Danish tourism organization from posting an image of C.W. Eckersberg’s 1841 painting Woman Standing in Front of a Mirror, before later admitting the decision was an “error”.
Too Nude for Facebook, written by Tor Kjolberg