Recently, I noticed a campaign video on Facebook called “Free the Nipple”, out of pure curiosity I watched it and was actually shocked at how I responded to the video, agreeging. Not because I want to go topless, but because of equality between males and females. If a man can, why can’t I? Also, why is it that if women are topless we would be asking for it? If a male walks on a beach, nipples and all, which by the way are the same nipples we have, no one is objectifying them or sexualizing them. In the video it discusses that if maybe women were not only allowed to show their nipples in a strip club or porno then maybe we would not be so sexualized. It would just be a norm.
Warning: Yes, there is nipples in this video. Male & female nipples.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=say51RGgMFk[/youtube]
Even if we all do not want to go topless, I think we may all agree this is a valid equality issue. Thoughts?
Madeline,
I thought this was a very interesting campaign. I’d never heard of it until I read your post, but I think it is sending a great message. Yes, some might think the delivery is a little intense, but the meaning behind it is very powerful. I thought of two things when I first read this post. First, men can have chests that look exactly like boobs (AKA “moobs”), yet they aren’t being told to cover up. You could see examples in the video of a man’s chest compared to a woman’s and they both are very similar in size in some cases. Second, I thought of public breast feeding and how it has become such an inappropriate thing to do. So what if you see the side of a woman’s breast. Does something so natural and vital have to be looked down upon? I think that if this movement were to spread, then actions like public breast feeding wouldn’t be so outrageous.
I think before I say anything I have to say mad respect to these women for feeling comfortable enough to do this. I think this goes beyond the nipple, girls can be exposed to numerous things at a young age, including the modest ladylike woman, and the sexy girl in the music video. There really is no happy medium, so we tend to just hear people telling us to cover it up. This post reminded me of this picture I cam across a little bit ago that always makes me laugh
http://www.metzgercartoons.com/uploads/1/5/6/3/1563197/281743.jpg?400
that features a man telling his wife he can’t go on the beach topless, but you can clearly see that they both look exactly the same. I think that when we take a step back and look at how genuinely censored we are as a whole, we would realize how little we enjoy and accept our bodies rather than the opposite. This also reminds me of the huge controversy over women breast feeding in public. I don’t have kids of my own but I can’t imagine ever denying my child food because someone can’t get over their uncomfortableness around a woman and something that is meant to be innocent and natural. Rather than shaming us for embracing ourselves, we should be lifting those up around us that have the bravery to do so.
I think this is a great topic to discuss. The campaign has continue to how and even has loads of celebrities on social media outlets, like Instagram, promoting and making personal and public testimonials encouraging the campaign and its awareness. It got me thinking…If I saw a topless women in the street Id be baffled and think it was inappropriate or maybe even scandalous but if I saw a man I’d still be surprised and think he should put a shirt on…but my reaction would not be nearly as shocking than if it was a woman. On the other hand if I saw either of the topless bodies in a work of art, photograph, or social media outlet I would be comfortable and feel empowered by the equality. It sounds hypocritical, I know, but maybe my reactions wouldn’t be the same because boobs in my face in the middle of the street seems a little too much for. Thats what our societal issues and this class are about analyzing what makes us uncomfortable and why and the possible benefits from opening our eyes to other ideas. I think the free the nipple campaign is forward, needed, and raises the standards for equality.
I think that the “free the nipple” movement is awesome. I think that if you think that nipples are degrading and sinful, that is all the more reason to bring light to where the sun don’t shine. Nursing mothers have gotten asked to leave establishments for breastfeeding their children, when instead they should be getting praised. New mothers should be looked at as beautiful, amazing life-givers whose body was designed so perfectly that she can nourish her baby. It is not something that should disgust others. If boobs are being associated with sexuality, it is because they are only being revealed in sexual scenarios. Women who adhere to the “free the nipple” movement are not degrading themselves, and they are not forcing all women to feel compelled to go topless. They are trying to rid the societal stigma that women are objects only to be seen for arousal. If other societies see that there is no difference in the bodies of men and women, then why, as American women, are we so ashamed of what we look like? If men in indigenous tribes can respect a woman whether she is naked or not, then why can’t men in civilized societies handle women in short skirts? Maybe if men were more exposed to the thing that tempts them most because of how forbidden it is, then they would be less interested in trying to see boobs and more interested in the next aspect of women that they cannot see; our minds. If you sexualize yourself, you will see your boobs as something sexual. If you see your boobs as something sexual, how can you expect other people not to. The root of the problem is the way we have been taught to see ourselves. If we grew up never wearing clothes, it would be something completely normal. And through symbolic interactionism, we have created this insane, sinful meaning of what it is to show or see boobs. The fact that I even had to say “show” boobs demonstrates how engrained the idea of normally hiding them is. No one worries if you show your elbows. I’m not saying that I am going to go topless, but I would like to free myself of that fear of doing so. I just want it to not be a big deal. If you couldn’t sexualize those hidden parts, then you’d have nothing to sexualize besides sex itself.
I disagree with this campaign. I do believe in women’s rights, but I don’t understand the equality side of this issue. Women want to feel equal to men and they want to gain that by being able to show their nipples? I feel like that is really degrading. There are other ways to gain publicity for equality for women without degrading ourselves and our sex. I feel like this campaign will inspire thousands of people, but at the same time, those people who are conservative or of a certain religion who believe women should be protected or covered up, will bash this campaign. I find this related in a sense to the Bruce Jenner issue, with him being transgender and people not being able to process that and with gendered norms discussed in class, because people with specific beliefs won’t want to support this campaign. I think it’s amazing women are fighting for their equality, but I do think it should have been done in a different way, that way more women may feel more comfortable involving themselves without feeling they have to violate their religion and/or beliefs.
Also noted; a guy in this clip says he would just stare at the women topless on the street. Would he even really be listening to the message trying to be sent?