Free the Nipple is a movement for the liberation of women and was initiated in 2012 during the pre-production of the same-named film. This American feature film is indeed the basis of a campaign that denounces the unequal topless policy. While men can freely expose their upper bodies, this practice is indeed controversial when it comes to women. Through the media and social networks, the feminist campaign Free the Nipple spreads rapidly around the world and has strong political and social impacts.
"Today, the Sister Republic team presents you with a current topic, as we also engage with femininity, feminism, and freedom of expression of all kinds. Menstruation panties are an accessory that also expresses women's freedom and the liberation from taboos such as that of menstruation."
A feminist campaign triggered by a legal vacuum
Long before the release of the film "Free the Nipple feminist organizations had pointed out the discrimination against the female body. This is mostly due to established cultural norms that systematically sexualize the female body. In most countries, men are not bothered when they go shirtless. This tolerance is virtually non-existent for the female gender.
The director Lina Esco wanted to highlight this discrepancy with her documentary Free the Nipple, which literally translates to "Free the Nipple". The film was released in 2014, but its underlying campaign took the two preceding years to raise awareness for this feminist struggle . Thanks to social networks, organizations fighting for women's rights , and the involvement of numerous celebrities, this movement was able to gain further momentum.
The global rise of the Free the Nipple movement
A worldwide protest
With the increase in feminist engagement and the release of the film, many protest actions have emerged worldwide. In Iceland, a young girl exposed herself on Twitter, leading to a wave of sexist protests. In England, more than 200 women and men demonstrated without shirts on a beach. In the United States , topless activists were arrested during the campaign of the Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders for exhibitionism. They had covered their nipples with tape as a sign of their protest. They were eventually released, but one of them filed a complaint. The women claimed that their constitutional rights had been violated and that breasts are not sexual organs, as they are meant for breastfeeding. Furthermore, in France the COPAM(Coordination Française pour l'Allaitement Maternel) has already advocated for mothers to be able to breastfeed their children in public.
The Ambiguity of Social Networks
In social networks, the controversy has triggered a flood of controversial images and censorship. For example, Facebook deleted advertising clips for the film Free the Nipple in 2013 that violated its rules. When celebrities further fueled the protest wave with topless photos, social networks had to take a clearer stance. Each platform indeed has its own policy regarding nudity. While Facebook allowed it in topics like breastfeeding or breast cancer prevention, Instagram was strictly against it. The account of Rihanna, for example, was deleted after photos were posted showing her breasts under a sheer outfit. Since then, several pages have been dedicated to the movement on social media, even though the polemic flares up repeatedly. Recently, Facebook and Instagram censored a woman who posted a photo of herself breastfeeding her baby.
Nudity as a legal gray area
In some countries like Italy, New Zealand, Greece, or Spain women are allowed to be topless. However, the American states of Indiana, Tennessee, and Utah explicitly prohibit this. Elsewhere, there is often a legal vacuum that is exploited by activists. Social networks must also specify which images of exposed individuals they accept. The various cases of nudity that they must take a stance on are numerous and complex:
- Breastfeeding
- Birth and time after birth
- Breast cancer prevention
- Post-Mastectomy
- Transgender surgery
- Sexual Exposure
- Non-sexual exposure
- Exhibitionism for protest purposes
- Artistic Exposure
Since the laws are not always clear, there have already been some landmark arrests for exhibitionism. Why defend women's equality in countries where men can go shirtless? Society often prohibits it, even though the law allows it. Going shirtless has been permitted in New York since the 1990s, yet arrests still occur for disturbing the public order or exhibitionism. The feminist demonstrations of the Free-the-Nipple movement have lifted the veil on a societal taboo and the lack of official legislation that prevents them from exposing themselves.
A strong mediatization
The feature film Free the Nipple by Lina Esco shows a group of young women protesting against cultural taboos on the streets of New York. They primarily open the debate about the image of women in advertising and the sexualization of the female body. The film is officially the trigger for this wave of protests, but others have also openly shared the message. In an episode of the American seriesThe Bold Type (The Way Up), the protagonist participates in the feminist campaign on social networks. She posts photos of women with male nipples advocating for gender equality.
The Free the Nipple movement is also supported by numerous stars, for example:
- the model Cara Delevingne
- the singer Miley Cyrus
- the actress Chelsea Handler
- the singer Soko
- The two daughters of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, Scout Larue Willis and Rumer Glenn Willis.
- the singer Rihanna
- the model Chrissy Teigen
- the screenwriter Lena Dunham
- the actress Jennifer Aniston and many more.
'Free the Nipple is wrongly equated with the Femen movement which uses breasts as a means of expression, and has nevertheless been heavily mediated. This enthusiasm for the topic is of course related to the public demonstration actions and their support by stars, but also to the legal cases and censorship that have made headlines. And the debate continues to this day...'
