Facebook apologises for banning plus-size model Tess Holliday's photo on grounds of ‘it makes the viewers feel bad about themselves’

Facebook was forced to backtrack as the social networking giant came under fire after banning Tess Holliday’s bikini-clad photo.

The photo was used to get an event organised by Cherze La Femme to circulate on social media. It was an invitation for people to attend the “Feminism and Fat” discussion to be held at a talk show in Victoria on June.

According to The Australian, Jenny, a Facebook employee, explained in her email that the photo will be allowed to remain on the event’s homepage but will be banned from circulation. Facebook went so far as to defend its stance by saying that the photo makes others feel bad about themselves and that they recommend the use of pictures that portray activities such as biking or running.

Feminist groups were enraged and expressed their anger on Facebook for their stance. In response, the social network released another statement to apologise for its actions.

“Our team processes millions of advertising images each week, and in some instances we incorrectly prohibit ads,” Facebook stated on Monday, as reported by The Guardian. “This image does not violate our ad policies. We apologise for the error and have let the advertiser know we are approving their ad.”

In response, Holliday used Twitter to express her frustration over having to defend her body.

Co-producer Jessamy Gleeson says that she was not satisfied by the apology. She hopes that the company will take the time to re-consider its policies, process and bias on reviewing photos of women.

Here are some reactions on Twitter: