Modern society has long subjected people with breasts to an undeniable double standard. There is nothing about the human areola that needs to be hidden – no matter its shape or size. Free yourself from unnecessary worries, and free the nipple.
Many public indecency laws – including Illinois’ – make “lewd exposure of the body, with intent to arouse” in public illegal. Yet even though cis-men are the most likely demographic to be perpetrators of sexual crimes, there are no restrictions on breast-less chests. It’s breasts which are interpreted as inherently sexual and therefore indecent.
The double standard has been acknowledged for years, but compared to more successful feminist movements, Free the Nipple hasn’t seen satisfactory change.
It wasn’t until 2018 that all 50 states protected the right of nursing parents to breastfeed in public spaces. And still, many nursing parents face stigma or judgement when nursing in public.
“It’s been estimated (people can) have a combination of, like, anatomical, hormonal and chromosomal characteristics that don’t easily align with the expectations of male bodies or female bodies, right?” said Amanda Littauer, a joint professor in the Department of History and the Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality. “So we already know that the ways that we sort bodies into categories is a highly social and cultural process, and so it’s not, it’s not fixed. It’s not simply the way it’s always been or the way it needs to be.”
The shaming of breasts is a clear example of how intensely one social idea within the binary system can be accepted by society as the only option.
“Certainly some feminists have been making the case for, since at least, the 1970s, that that is kind of arbitrary and unfair. That bodies that are assigned female, that their chests are rendered, you know, inappropriate or indecent to be seen in public, when that’s just not the case for other bodies that get sorted into the male category.”
History has no concrete story that explains why breasts are conventionally considered too sexual for the public.
Some biologists believe the sexualization of breasts is derived from viewing breasts as signals of fertility, inciting natural attraction for some people. Regardless of whether we cover them, many people will find breasts attractive – there’s nothing inherently wrong with that.
The Free the Nipple movement doesn’t condemn finding breasts sexy; it condemns obsessive control over particular bodies.
Any person may similarly be attracted to another’s smile, eyes, height or hair. We don’t force concealment of those qualities in modern American society; we shouldn’t be treating chests any differently.
“There’s no inherent reason why a situation in which a man might choose to go shirtless would somehow not potentially also appeal to women or people with breasts,” Littauer said. “I think it becomes clear that there’s some pretty arbitrary decision making, which ultimately serves pretty patriarchal purposes, right? So, like, if it’s about men objectifying women or it’s about women being maternal, it’s ‘OK.’ Anything else, like, if women want to do it or just take pleasure from it, or just enjoy it, or want to feel the sun on their skin, or want to feel more free, then it’s like, ‘that’s not appropriate.’”
The Free the Nipple movement has no expectation that American fashion will suddenly evolve into everyone being topless. One perception of acceptable nudity – applied for centuries – has shaped most of our comfort levels against that possibility.
Undoubtedly, plenty of people with breasts have no urge to appear topless in public anytime soon, especially considering society’s misogynistic tradition of blaming a victim’s clothing for unwanted sexual advances.
But if you’re a person with breasts, you do deserve change from the status quo: the choice to cover your chest completely or not.
Like any fashion decision, that choice should reflect your personal comfort level, self-expression, spirituality and creativity, not controlling, patriarchal traditions.
Unless they empower you or comfort you, you should feel no pressure to suffer under the pink tax, spending money on bras and other nipple-concealing wear.
There should be no panic about if your shirt’s too thin or your nipples are noticeable when it’s chilly. Everyone else can calm down and accept the shocking reality that you too–- as a fellow human mammal – have nipples.
It’s up to all of us to normalize every human body.
So, beautiful people, smuggle those raisins. Buy that lovely sheer top!
If you have a chest society has deemed indecent – you deserve the freedom to treat it with the same pride you should treat your body size, body hair and every other aspect of our gorgeous human selves that unqualified onlookers will want to judge.
