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What is Free the Nipple?
Free The Nipple is a movement whose goal is to expose the double standard that allows men to be topless in certain public areas, such as beaches and pools, but does not allow women the same right. This campaign is important because we live in a country that stands on the belief that all persons are created equal. This means that women have just as much right to bare her breasts and expose her nipples as any man. It is important that women have this right because without it, we don’t have ownership over our own bodies. Both men and women’s nipples are anatomically the same. By criminalizing and sexualizing women’s nipples not only does that take away ownership of her own body, but it can cause her to feel insecure, embarrassed, and ashamed of something all humans have. This shame can negatively affect and make breastfeeding, the actual purpose of a woman’s breasts, even harder and in many cases can cause the women to be isolated and fear being shamed by the general public if she was to breastfeed in public. This sexualization also causes society to debate and pick an arbitrary age that a child should stop nursing or else it becomes inappropriate. I have experienced this firsthand. Our goal is to do a protest at Hampton Beach to show the world that a woman’s breasts and nipples can be seen in a non-sexual way.
By only allowing nipples to be seen in strip clubs and porn our society is teaching our children that the only function of a woman’s breasts—specifically her nipples—are to turn someone on and meant for other’s sexual gratification. We are making women cover a body part that *might* cause sexual interest. This takes away ownership from the actual woman and gives it to those around her. Society only wants to see a woman’s nipples when they *want* to be turned on. This is why public breastfeeding is a huge controversy. By teaching everyone that breasts are completely and only sexual, it is no wonder why some people become uncomfortable or disgusted by a breastfeeding mother. While men can walk around completely topless, their nipples exposed, a breastfeeding mother has to hide in a bathroom to feed her baby because the act of feeding her child—at least the way *she* is doing it—should be private. It is treated like a dirty secret.
This stigma on a female’s nipples causes shame and embarrassment. How can we tell our children that a woman’s nipples are a “no-no” and “a private part” but then at the exact same time continue to show sexually stimulating photos of women’s breasts (with the nipple covered of course!)? For one, people always want the forbidden. By covering them up and forbidding them (except in secret as you look at porn) makes them even more desirable and taboo! 100 years ago ankles were taboo and obscene to show in public. Today no one would think twice about seeing a man or woman’s ankles. Essentially, our society has been conditioned to immediately think “sex” when they see a woman’s breasts or nipples. This is why to some it is a difficult concept to grasp that, yes, a woman’s nipples can be seen in a non-sexual way just like a man’s nipples can be seen in a sexual way! Free the Nipple isn’t about women running around topless or going to work topless. It’s about choice and equality. If a man has the right to tan on the beach topless, so should a woman! Gender should have nothing to do with it.
We are living in rape culture. Violence against women, sexual assault, and slut-shaming is everywhere. We live in a society that questions a rape victim as if she was the assailant. Her past, previous sexual relationships, the way she dresses, and her morals all come into question when she accuses a man of rape. People fear that if women were to be allowed topless men would have a hard time controlling themselves and sexual assault would get worse. But the thing is, shouldn’t we be teaching our young boys that they should be treating all women with respect no matter what she is wearing, rather than teach our young girls that they must cover up or else be assaulted? This is like the horrible phrase “she was asking for it.” When girls are constantly told their breasts need to be covered because they are obscene and shameful they internalize it. Not only does it cause self-esteem and body image issues but it also causes discrimination against each other. She sees that she is being discriminated based on her gender, so in order to rationalize this she tells herself “Good girls cover their breasts. And any woman who doesn’t is a whore.” Boys too are taught this. Our children are taught that if a girl is showing a lot of cleavage she must be promiscuous, asking for attention, doing it to please and turn on men, has loose morals, etc. This is wrong. THIS is what contributes to rape culture and slut-shaming. A woman should feel free to wear what she wants or go topless without fear of being harassed or assaulted.
Some may think there are bigger fights to fight. Some may think this is silly. Maybe they are right. But how can women expect to get equal pay (a pretty big issue!) if we can’t even win this “silly” issue? To me, Free the Nipple is more than going topless. It connects to all of these equality issues. A woman’s breasts and nipples belong to no one but her. Only she has the right to sexualize them. No one else has the right to be ashamed of someone else’s body.
So come to our protest at Hampton Beach to Free The Nipple and fight for topless equality.
You can find this published here: http://nhlifefree.com/2015/07/23/free-the-female-nipple-movement-new-hampshire-explanation-of-goals-by-founder-kia-sinclair/
Also check out our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1444574175852256/
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