Written by Joy Dakers she/her
It’s 2020 and the public is still shocked that women have nipples.
The older I have gotten the more I have found bras a restriction not only on my body but on my empowerment. Don’t get me wrong, bras are great, they can make you feel sexy, help you play sports and even prevent back pain. But as a small chested woman I’ve always found them verging on unnecessary.
I was reflecting in lockdown on why I was forcing myself to wear a bra if I felt this way and the answer dawned upon me… for other people. The only reason I was strapping myself in every morning was because I didn’t want to offend other people or become stigmatised.
Often when people see nipples, they think “SLUT” or become “uncomfortable”. However, I thought to myself - bras make me uncomfortable so why would I put myself through something I didn’t like for the benefit of others not seeing a nipple… a biological necessity… through a t-shirt! I mean seriously, don’t you think there are far more important things to be bothered about?
I started digging deeper into the way societies need to feel offended by an odd nipple here and there and I was startled by the statistics. It wasn’t until 2018 that all 50 US states made breastfeeding in public legal. Furthermore,
in 37 US states a woman will get arrested if she sunbathes topless despite men being able to and shockingly Instagram doesn’t allow pictures of women’s nipples to be posted. Yes, a platform on which most of the users have nipples. These were just some of the nonsensical facts I found out, the tip of the iceberg on nipple haters.
I’m clearly not the first to write about the hyper sexualisation of women’s nipples but the fact that I am writing about it means that we are still yet to be heard by the mass media and public. A short high school biology lesson will teach y
ou the use and need for women to have these lifesaving additions to their body, yet they are still sexualised and treated as something for pleasure. This isn’t wrong but it isn’t the whole story and that’s what must be pushed to the forefront of the nipple fight.
Anyone should have the right to choose whether they want to be empowered through modesty or nudity. The importance is in the ability to choose. The only thing we can truly be is ourselves and if a bra is restricting you or even a t-shirt whip it off and get comfortable because if we don’t, the world won’t.
Data from:
Images taken from @freethenipple
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