Saturday, January 4, 2014

Free The Nipple

As a woman, I can attest to how pissed off I get when I'm told I have to wear a shirt, or a bra, or a bathing suit top in public. Why? I'm not allowed to be offended by a man's bare chest, but he can be offended by mine? I have to be fully covered during the summer, and sweaty, and miserable, but bro gets to just waltz around in shorts?
Really America?
Honestly?

Because we weren't all born equal or anything, right?

There's this great new cause around called FREE THE NIPPLE. Maybe you've heard of it, but more than likely you haven't, unless you've heard about all the women getting arrested, specifically in NYC where, by the way, it's legal for a woman to be topless in public and has been since 1912.

Lina Esco has made a movie called FREE THE NIPPLE that is meant to show America the inequality in this country, the sexism and the discrimination against women for their genders.  The film will not be released in theatres unless it has YOUR support. The MPAA rated it NC-17 which is one that, in the view of the Rating Board, most parents would consider patently too adult for their children 17 and under. No children will be admitted. NC-17 does not mean "obscene" or "pornographic" in the common or legal meaning of those words, and should not be construed as a negative judgment in any sense. The rating simply signals that the content is appropriate only for an adult audience. An NC-17 rating can be based on violence, sex, aberrational behavior, drug abuse or any other element that most parents would consider too strong and therefore off-limits for viewing by their children "
Today, in the USA it is ILLEGAL for a woman to be topless in 37 states, in some states this even includes breast feeding. You know, breast feeding. The act of nourishing a child too small, young and helpless to feed themselves. The reasoning behind these laws, and the outrage attached to public feeding, is the same as the ones behind the laws against being topless in public. It's "indecent" and "offensive" and "inappropriate" for children to see. Yet, we want our children to be proud of their bodies, and to be confident in themselves. We WANT them to breast-feed because breast is best. But then we say it's disgusting and needs to be done in private, and needs to be covered up.
 A thing as natural as feeding a baby, or being comfortable in your skin, has been sexualized to the point that you are automatically looked down upon in society's eyes. It seems that a nation built upon freedom of choices, and expressions, upon the freedom from oppression, has forgotten that the naked body hasn't always been viewed solely as a sexual object.

When we were born, we were born naked. When Adam and Eve were in the Garden, before they fell from Grace, they were naked. Think people. Maybe the Lord is trying to tell you something. If He had intended us to be clothed, that is how we'd have been born.

People say it's a matter of self-respect, and modesty. The last time I checked self-respect was an attitude of confidence one had in oneself and in one's body, and modesty was the way you held yourself with decorum. It wasn't constricting your body in man-made contraption that are designed to hide your body, yet display the "sexy bits" in the best light possible.

FREE THE NIPPLE isn't about showing your body to the world for attention. It's about equality, and showing off a beautiful piece of art. Your body is a masterpiece, and it should be treated like that. If a man can walk around with HIS nipples out, and they serve no purpose by the way, why can't a woman?

Because we feed our children with them?
Because men, and women, think of them only as sexual play-toys?

I challenge everyone to open their eyes, and see the inequality we have been subjected to.

Free your mind. Free your body. Free the nipple.

(This blog is in no way affiliated with the FREETHENIPPLE campaign, and does not officially represent the thoughts or opinions of said campaign. Follow Free The Nipple on Twitter at @FREETHENIPPLE)  

1 comment:

  1. Chelsea, when I first found the website 007Breasts, I was happy for it to be a resource for the breastfeeding part of my L&D Tips webpage, EXCEPT for its promotion of "breast emancipation." But studying its arguments about the sanity of breast acceptance sent me on an even more enlightening study of body acceptance, which is still in progress. I've written an essay (downloadable as a printable PDF file brochure) called, "Teaching God's Design for BREASTS - A Message about 'the Visible Breast' for Christian Leaders" (it's GOOGLE-able). I know you will love it. Blessings on you and your little family!

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