#GoTopless: Here’s Why Female Nipples Are Causing An Internet Storm (Nudity)
It’s GoTopless day and the debate continues over whether or not women should have the right to be topless in public just like men.
“The more you repress a body part, the more obsessed you become about it,” president of GoTopless, Nadine Gary tells SFGATE. As it turns out the national protest event is the work of Rael, the spiritual leader of the Raelians. If you don’t recall, the Raëlian Movement is a religion that teaches that life on Earth was scientifically created by a species of extraterrestrials, which they call the Elohim.
They were much more popular in the 70’s and 80’s. Rael describes his view of inequality as this: “As long as men are allowed to be topless in public, women should have the same constitutional right. Or else, men should have to wear something to hide their chests.” What is the deal with women’s nipples? Why does our society act as though they are these coveted, mystical things that should only come out in the bedroom? I mean, the main purpose of female nipples is to provide a passage of breast milk to babies and create a bond between mother and child. Male nipples, on the other hand, virtually serve no purpose whatsoever, and they are freely exposed on the Internet and in public places. Why exactly is it okay for men to have their nipples exposed, yet women – even those who are breastfeeding – are often scoffed at and looked down upon? Not to mention the fact that we are constantly exposed to extremely sexual, provocative advertisements of women, yet a nipple is not allowed to be shown on Instagram. Why are we keeping female nipples hidden, is there an agenda behind this? So, in a massive attempt to drive social change and gender equality, nipples are being revealed, on the Internet! “It is illegal for women to go topless in most cities, yet you can buy a magazine of a woman without her top on at any 7-11 store. So you can sell breast, but you cannot wear breast, in America.” – Violet Rose FroKnowsPhoto.com A documentary came out in 2014 called “Free The Nipple.” This empowering 90-minute movie was co-written and directed by Lino Esco and definitely helped start the nipple revolution.
The goal of this production was to decriminalize the named body by protesting and raising awareness about the censorship laws in the U.S.A. Showcasing an army of extremely passionate women, First Amendment lawyers, graffiti installations, and publicity stunts, all invading New York City, the film aimed to raise awareness of and protest the extremely hypocritical laws that govern public “nudity.” They also intended to promote gender equality, legally and culturally, in the U.S.A. Keira Knightley, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Cara Delevingne, and Scout Willis are just a few of the female celebrities that are openly supporting this cause. Scout Willis, daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, raised a lot of awareness for the campaign when she walked around New York City topless for a day. She explained in a post on XOjane that she had been removed from Instagram and that she was no longer welcome in their community after she had posted a picture of a sweatshirt that had a picture of two bare-chested women. She issued a statement saying: “I didn’t choose my public life, but it did give me a platform to help make body politics newsworthy. Matters like the taboo of the nipple in the 21st century, public breastfeeding, slut shaming, fat shaming, breast cancer awareness, body positivity, gender inequality, and censorship have found their way into mainstream discussion. But unfortunately the emphasis in the press has been on sensationalizing my breasts, chiefly in terms of my family.
There are also some people who would criticize my choice to relate nipples with equality at all. To me, nipples seem to be at the very heart of the issue. In the 1930s, men’s nipples were just as provocative, shameful, and taboo as women’s are now, and men were protesting in much the same way. In 1930, four men went topless to Coney Island and were arrested. In 1935, a flash mob of topless men descended upon Atlantic City, 42 of whom were arrested. Men fought and they were heard, changing not only laws, but social consciousness. And by 1936, men’s bare chests were accepted as the norm. So why is it that 80 years later women can’t seem to achieve the same for their chests? Why can’t a mother proudly breastfeed her child in public without feeling sexualized? Why is a 17-year-old girl being asked to leave her own prom because a group of fathers find her too provocative? Why should I feel overly exposed because I choose not to wear a bra? Why would it be okay with Instagram and Facebook to allow photos of a cancer survivor who has had a double mastectomy and is without areolas but ‘photos with fully exposed breasts, particularly if they’re unaffected by surgery, don’t follow Instagram’s Community Guidelines.’ “ Scout makes some very good points here, and the issue is something that not only women, but men too, should consider more often. Instagram recently updated their nude policy and issued this statement: “We know that there are times when people might want to share nude images that are artistic or creative in nature, but for a variety of reasons, we don’t allow nudity on Instagram. This includes photos, videos, and some digitally-created content that show sexual intercourse, genitals, and close-ups of fully-nude buttocks. It also includes some photos of female nipples, but photos of post-mastectomy scarring and women actively breastfeeding are allowed. Nudity in photos of paintings and sculptures is OK, too.” Hmmm... What are your thoughts? Do you think we should #freethenipple? Or should it stay hidden forever? http://www.freethenipple.com/ http://gotopless.org/ Much Love .
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