Post by Hope Emerges.

Facebook has ordered a woman from Auckland to take down photos of her reconstructed breasts. Nic Russell, who just turned 40 years old, has posted artistic photos of her breasts. Ms Russell was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. Three months before she found out she had breast cancer, her two-and-a-half-year old child, Kenzie, was diagnosed with paraspinal cancer.

Ms Russell spent most of her 30s undergoing breast cancer treatment. She had a double mastectomy and radiography. Her daughter, Kenzie, lost her own battle with what her mother described as a "horrific disease."

After turning 40 years old, Ms Russell wanted to "slam the door" as a significant ending to surviving a rough decade. She had her athletic body photographed topless in artistic poses with Auckland's beaches as the background. The photo shoot was her way of helping other women deal with getting a mastectomy to fight breast cancer.

Ms Russell said most images that she posted on Facebook were "quite stark or clinical." She thought it would be better to change the conversation when it comes to mastectomies and breast construction. The photos were her way of celebrating them.

After Ms Russell posted the images on Facebook, the social network contacted her overnight and asked her to remove the photos because they were "objectionable." She was disappointed with Facebook for seeing her photos as objectionable and added she has seen more images that showed a lot of skin than hers.

Ms Russell defended her photos and said her intended audience was women who were diagnosed with breast cancer.

Her Facebook page was later on activated but her photos have been removed. Viewers who would like to see the images are redirected to Ms Russell's Web site.

It's not the first time that photos related to breast cancer have been banned for being "objectionable."

A hard-hitting breast cancer awareness ad campaign has been banned in New Zealand, featuring comedienne and actress Elaine C Smith. It was the first time in the UK that a breast cancer ad showed real images of a woman's breasts and the effects of cancer.

The Elaine Smith ad campaign was shown in Scotland after 9 pm, which resulted in a 50 per cent increase in the number of women talking to their doctors about breast cancer.

The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation (NZBCF) wanted to show images of Elaine Smith from the ad campaign in Scotland as part of its television campaign for Kiwi audiences.

However, New Zealand's Commercial Approval Bureau (CAB) blocked the showing of breast pictures and advised health ad campaigners that nipples should not be included in television advertisements in New Zealand.