Facebook Adverts #BlogMondays #frustrated #RANT

For the release of my latest novel (Shift Work), I placed the following advert on FB. It ran with great success, and to my knowledge, was never reported.

The stock image is a fairly popular one (purchased from Shutterstock), and I've seen it on a few other sponsored ads on FB.

Then, to my dismay, I tried to run another ad with the same photo (text slightly changed to take out an annoying comma).

It got denied.

Twice.

According to Facebook:

[My] ad wasn't approved because it violates Facebook's Ad Guidelines by featuring an image containing excessive amounts of skin or suggestive content. Facebook does not allow images that depict people in explicit or suggestive positions, or images that show nudity or cleavage--even if portrayed for artistic or educational reasons. If you've reviewed the Help Center and think your ad should have been approved, please get in touch

Huh.

So, being the diligent person I am, I clicked on the "Help Center" link and reviewed FB's guidelines for photos.

This is what it had:


I'm shocked to learn I can have a woman in a sheer bra gently caressing her shoulder or face, but not a couple ~almost~ kissing. So, being the diligent person, I am, I provided the following feedback:

"Images may not be overly sexual, imply nudity, show excessive amounts of skin or cleavage, or focus unnecessarily on body parts." requires more detail, because I had a FB Ad denied (twice) because it featured a couple almost kissing. Not actually kissing, not nude or implying nudity, and not in an explicit or sexual position. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, "Sexual" is defined as "of, relating to, or involving sex." Kissing doesn't equate to sex. If a picture of a heterosexual couple almost kissing constitutes as "overly sexual", "excessive suggestive content", "suggestive positioning", or simply "sexual", your examples need to be more elaborate and thoroughly defined to provide more guidance. Paying customers such as myself need to have a more solid framework from FB where FB defines what exactly it means by "sexual," because everyone has a different interpretation of this word.

I also clicked "Get in Touch" and requested they re-review my ad because I didn't feel it violated any of their guidelines. At the time of writing this post, I haven't heard a response to my feedback or to my request for them to re-review my ad; however, my ad was approved again...and then denied within the same minute. Thanks for clarifying Facebook!

Obviously, I'm totally biased, and think my ad is perfectly fine. And I'm not writing this post looking for validation. What I would like to know is:

In a highly over-sexualized society that is our world today, what's your interpretation of "sexual"?