Aussie lingerie brand hits back after Simone Holtznagel’s breastfeeding photograph is removed by Meta for violating its nudity rules

Australian lingerie brand Nala has responded to Meta after Instagram removed a photo of model Simone Holtznagel breastfeeding her daughter Gia.

The post, which was part of Nala’s bold new campaign, was flagged by Meta’s automated systems for “nudity or sexual activity.”

But instead of giving in, the Melbourne brand has now stood up and championed women’s rights and the normalisation of breastfeeding in public.

In response to the removal, Nala reposted the image, along with a screenshot of Meta’s report, claiming the post violated their nudity guidelines.

The image received overwhelming support from Nala’s followers, with hundreds of comments calling Meta’s decision outdated and sexist.

The brand appealed the removal and after significant backlash, Meta reinstated the original carousel of images, with the clear caption: “No edits, no apologies.”

“Advertising reflects our society and when we suggest that certain content should be banned, the implication is that it should be hidden in real life too,” a Nala spokesperson told Ny Breaking Australia.

“There is nothing inappropriate about showing a woman’s body, especially when she is feeding her baby. Breastfeeding is natural and it is time to normalize it.”

The post, which was part of Nala’s bold new campaign, was flagged by Meta’s automated systems as containing “nudity or sexual activity,” but the brand has since reposted the images.

The campaign, titled Sorry To Offend You, aims to break the stigma surrounding breastfeeding in public and celebrate the beauty of motherhood.

Simone, known for her appearance on Australia’s Next Top Model, is the face of the campaign, which sees her breastfeeding her five-month-old daughter Gia in public locations in Melbourne.

The successful campaign also marked the first time that Simone and her daughter Gia were photographed together for a solo photo shoot.

Just five days after Nala posted the images, Meta’s AI system automatically flagged them for violating its nudity policy and removed them.

Nala appealed the decision. After receiving a lot of support, the content was reviewed by a human moderator who deemed the images appropriate.

Social media users have since rallied behind Nala and Simone, with fans showing their support for the campaign in droves and criticizing Meta for the initial decision.

The brand appealed the removal and after significant backlash, Meta reinstated the original carousel of images, now clearly captioned: “No edits, no apologies”

Ny Breaking Australia has contacted Meta for comment.

Simone welcomed her daughter Gia on Easter Sunday with personal trainer Jono Castano, but the couple have since gone their separate ways.

The couple split nine weeks after Gia was born, with Jono publicly confirming their separation in July.

“Who knows what the future holds, our idea is just to be the best parents for Gia at this time,” he said in a statement to Ny Breaking Australia at the time.

“I wanted to be an example for my daughter; that’s something that changed for me. One day I thought, ‘What am I doing? This is not right.’ And I would hate for her to ever be in that situation,” she said.

“You gotta do what’s right for you at the end of the day. No matter how many promises or whatever people make, if they show you who they are, believe them. Because you can’t change people.”

Simone welcomed her daughter Gia with personal trainer Jono Castano (both pictured in May) on Easter Sunday, but the couple have since split

Simone said she’s fine raising her five-month-old baby, Gia, on her own and is confident she made the right choice.

“I’ve never felt more confident about anything. And I know I can do it myself. It’s a shame that I have to do most of it myself, but I really couldn’t think any other way,” she said.

“What I’m doing just feels really good to me. The most important thing to me is that Gia is happy and healthy, and that I’m happy too.

“Because I’m a firm believer that if the mother is unhappy, it’s hard to have a happy child. And I feel like Gia is a reflection of me at this point, because she’s just a very content and happy little bubba.”