Victoria Buckley's 'Ophelia' marketing campaign
Facebook continues to censor Australian jeweller
Posted July 07, 2010 |
Victoria Buckley’s battle against Facebook received a blow today as the social networking giant removed her “Save Ophelia” page from its networking site.
The page – “Save Ophelia – exquisite doll censored by Facebook” – was set up after the Sydney jeweller had marketing images containing the porcelain doll – Ophelia – removed from her fan page because Facebook deemed them “inappropriate content”.
The images feature the naked doll, with little more than nipples on show, posing with Buckley’s high-end jewellery works.
The social networking giant has put up a stony wall of silence since the incident on Monday, despite attempts by both Victoria Buckley and Jeweller to contact the site.
Buckley said on her fan page: “I appreciate Facebook for what it offers - a free and fun platform to network from. I think, however, Facebook need to fine tune their approach, beginning with making it possible for users to contact them.”
The jeweller, who initially attributed the censorship to “Midwest American puritanism” also said she wanted to make it clear that her response to Facebook’s actions “is not an attack on Christians, Americans, Facebook, or any other group”.
She added: “It is however, a chance to calmly debate what constitutes nudity, and what is acceptable in art.”
Facebook is increasingly being used by jewellers and other retailers as a means of marketing their products to a wider audience.
Since the news broke of Buckley’s fight with Facebook, a number of commentators on her fan page have announced that they have signed up to the jeweller’s newsletter after visiting her on the social networking site.
One commentator said: “It is sad and a shame that beauty cannot be appreciated for its own sake. On the upside, I never would have found either one of you [Buckley’s jewellery or the dollmaker] without the controversy.”
> See the August issue of Jeweller magazine for Victoria Buckley's view on Australian design innovation.
More reading: Australian jeweller fights Facebook censorship