Highland Park Woman Who Tried to Raise Awareness for Disease Had Ad Rejected by Facebook

A Highland Park woman who tried to post sponsored content to Facebook showing her struggles with the autoimmune disorder scleroderma said she felt “humiliated” when the social media giant rejected her ad not once, but twice.

Forty year-old Lisa Goodman-Helfand intended to show two contrasting photos of herself (on the right) and 23-year-old Chanel Wright, who suffers from the same condition but with less visible symptoms, according to the Lake County News-Sun. But Facebook rejected the ad, citing potential “negative feedback.”

Facebook reportedly was under the impression the ad was being used to showcase a product being sold, as the image resembles a possible “before-and-after” shot.

“Your ad wasn’t approved because it includes ‘before and after’ images, or other images showing unexpected or unlikely results,” Facebook told Goodman-Helfand on Saturday, according to a screen shot she provided of her Facebook account.

A second message from Facebook stated, in part, “We don’t allow images that promote an ideal body/physical image (i.e., before and after images).”

Facebook has since reversed its decision and has allowed the ad.

Goodman-Helfand has been on a mission to raise awareness of scleroderma, something she does often in frequent blog entries, which include full descriptions of her recent encounters with Facebook.

more via the Lake County News-Sun