What’s every 14-year old girl’s favorite thing in the world? Boys? Well yes, but for the purpose of this article today, no. What was that I heard? Stickers? Yes! And what’s even better than just collecting an absurd amount of stickers? Obviously covering your MacBook in them. The second my mom gave me my brand new computer for starting my freshman year of high school, I had immediately covered it all over in my favorite stickers I had been collecting in a little box.I had a specific sticker that had been one of my favorite for a long time. At camp the previous summer my friend gave me one that said “Free The Nipple” and I stuck it on there dead center.
Of course, this sticker led to a lot of questions, asked by teachers, friends, strangers in Starbucks, the list goes on. Generally, they were obnoxious comments made by my guy friends like “That’s a liberal movement I like” or “Well yeah, let’s see it then” or “I don’t get it, you just want to be topless all the time?”.
What I tried explaining to my friends, or anyone who asked, was that this was a real organization demanding equal rights for women and men. It isn’t about wanting to be topless all the time, but rather desexualizing female bodies and granting equal rights under the law for women. If men can be topless publicly without a single question, why is it not only socially unacceptable but actually breaking the law for women to do the? These are all thoughts the company used to turn this issue into a documentary, which sparked an incredible, radical movement towards social change. It’s about giving people the opportunity to make their own choices.
I watched the documentary made by the company Free The Nipple years ago, and a few points specifically stuck with me. First of all, every part of the female breast is socially acceptable to be seen in public (cleavage, side boob, underboob) except for the actual nipple itself, the one thing about the breast that women share with men. This ridiculous double standard has also been clear in the public breastfeeding debacle. Photos of women in lingerie are posted all over the internet, malls, and ads but women are often scrutinized for breastfeeding their children in front of other people, even if they have those pieces of fabric covering the whole front of their bodies.
Breastfeeding is 100% natural, which is so frustrating as to how this stereotype of it being “gross” came about. Women’s breasts are seen as beautiful, attractive, sexualized objects until they are being used for their real purpose, which is to feed their children.
Ultimately, critics biggest issue with this movement is saying it will just never be possible, this is too big of a social norm to change. As a matter of fact, until the 1930’s men were also not allowed to publicly expose their nipples on or off the screen. These sexist social norms don’t just exist, they are taught and shaped by society. Almost anything can change with a little passion, hard work, and determination. This is a feminist movement I strongly believe in, and if you believe that women should have the freedom to expose the same anatomy that men have, you’ve found the right place!