Animals have them, men have them, and anyone who saw the VMAs knows that Miley Cyrus has them, so why are women's nipples such a big deal? Out of the mouth of the Happy Hippie herself comes an interesting quote from her time on Jimmy Kimmel Live:
"The nipple, what you can't show, is what everyone has, but the jug part that everybody doesn't, you're allowed to show underboob. I've never understood the way it works."
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Just think about that for a second. Now I know you're probably thinking that this is just about women wanting to go topless, right? Well, yes, and no. It's not just about a woman's right to bare breast, but even more so about her right to feed her child, or go to school without a bra, or even be paid the same amount as a man for the same job.
Here's what Free the Nipple is, straight from their website:
"Free The Nipple is a film, an equality movement, and a mission to empower women across the world. We stand against female oppression and censorship, both in the United States and around the globe. Today, in the USA it is effectively ILLEGAL for a woman to be topless, breastfeeding included, in 35 states. In less tolerant places like Louisiana, an exposed nipple can take a woman to jail for up to three years and cost $2,500 in fines. Even in New York City, which legalized public toplessness in 1992, the NYPD continues to arrest women. We’re working to change these inequalities through film, social media, and a grassroots campaign."
I did, indeed, watch the movie (it's on Netflix). I highly recommend it to get a better understanding of where it all started.
The word "feminism" has been getting a lot of attention -- and hate -- lately. Many celebrities have come out saying they do not identify as one (T-Swift), while others are more than happy to don the scarlet F.
Merriam-Webster defines feminism as, "the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes." So why is everyone freaking out about something that should be totally obvious, anyway?
Let's dive into a tiny history lesson.
Feminism in America technically started in the late 1800s during the women's suffrage movement -- women wanted to vote.
What's known as "radical feminism" started in the 1960s (this is when women were burning bras, etc). This time period is what people normally associate with the feminism movement, and why they have a bad taste in their mouths about it. During that time, feminist women wanted to completely change what our culture perceived as what a woman "should be act like." Things like bras, girdles, high-heels, and make-up were considered "oppressive."
Fast forward a few years, and women decided that what feminism really meant was that they could be whoever the heck they wanted and still be equal under the law.
This is where we are now. Pinkfloor summed up this new position perfectly when she said; "It's possible to have a push-up bra and a brain at the same time."
So that's it, that's where the big, bad F word comes from, and that's why women are running around NYC topless, although I still can't explain Miley Cyrus, sorry. Not so scary anymore is it? Sometime's all it takes is a little information to start a firestorm of change.
If you have any interest in learning more about the Free the Nipple movement check out their website www.freethenipple.com, and get educated.
You can check out more about the Happy Hippie foundation here: http://www.happyhippies.org/.
