Free The Nipple: why on earth do women want to walk around topless in public?
Free The Nipple, a movement which fights for women to be allowed to go topless
in public, has gained popularity after Bruce Willis's daughter, Scout,
walked half-naked through New York. A puzzled Radhika Sanghani examines
why these women are stripping off 
I can understand women wanting to be topless
at the beach – why not go a la continental on the coast – but doing the
same in the middle of a packed New York City street? Surely not; it’s
Manhattan not St Tropez.
But apparently, this is officially A Thing. The ‘Free The Nipple’
movement has been around for a few years, but has just enjoyed a new
surge in popularity after Scout Willis, the 22-year-old daughter of
Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, wandered around New York topless. She
documented her journey on Twitter.
This week, a group of protestors met in New
York's Washington Square Park to parade around topless, all in the name
of democracy.
Lost? Confused?
Totally bemused? Fear not, I am too. In an effort to understand their
motivations, I have compiled a list detailing all the reasons why these
women say they are liberating their breasts:
1) Instagram won’t let you post nipple pics
Scout Willis began her spontaneous protest because Instagram wouldn’t let her post a picture of a jacket that had two topless ladies (her mates) emblazoned on the black – or one of Willis in a sheer top.
They called them “instances of abuse” so Willis “walked around New York topless and documented it on Twitter, pointing out that what is legal by New York state law is not allowed on Instagram, as she writes in her blog post for XO Jane.
2) Why not? It’s legal
Lina Esco, a filmmaker who began the Free The Nipple movement,
explains that “according to statute 245.01 per the Appeals Court of The
State/City of New York, it is completely legal for a woman or a man to
opt not to wear a shirt (or bra) in public”.
She helpfully points out: “a woman going bare-breasted will draw more stares than a man doing the same.” If it’s legally OK - and means you get to figure out why something's so controversial ergo, that’s reason enough to get your boobs out.
3) It’s JUST A NIPPLE
This is the main point that Free The Nipple is trying to get across – it’s a singular little nipple and we don’t need to be so frightened of it. (I'd argue there's usually two)
“The nipple is the first thing we see when we’re born,” Esco told American news site RYOT. “It nourishes us. When did it become such a bad thing? When did it become a crime?” Well, in NYC it certainly isn’t, as Miley Cyrus reminds us with this tweet:
1) Instagram won’t let you post nipple pics
Scout Willis began her spontaneous protest because Instagram wouldn’t let her post a picture of a jacket that had two topless ladies (her mates) emblazoned on the black – or one of Willis in a sheer top.
They called them “instances of abuse” so Willis “walked around New York topless and documented it on Twitter, pointing out that what is legal by New York state law is not allowed on Instagram, as she writes in her blog post for XO Jane.
2) Why not? It’s legal
She helpfully points out: “a woman going bare-breasted will draw more stares than a man doing the same.” If it’s legally OK - and means you get to figure out why something's so controversial ergo, that’s reason enough to get your boobs out.
3) It’s JUST A NIPPLE
This is the main point that Free The Nipple is trying to get across – it’s a singular little nipple and we don’t need to be so frightened of it. (I'd argue there's usually two)
“The nipple is the first thing we see when we’re born,” Esco told American news site RYOT. “It nourishes us. When did it become such a bad thing? When did it become a crime?” Well, in NYC it certainly isn’t, as Miley Cyrus reminds us with this tweet:
So, women of Britain, are you feeling any better about the prospect of baring all down your local park? I, for one, don't wish to see a man without his topon the next time the sun comes out, let alone any of my fellow female. But maybe I'm just a good old-fashioned 24-year-old prude.
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