Any Chelsea Handler groupie would be readily aware of her current ‘movement’ to help #freethenipple. The original Free The Nipple campaign began last year in by actor/ director Lina Esco and serves to protest the illegality of revealing a woman’s nipple in public. The movement’s official website highlights that some of the more conservative states reserve the right to imprison a woman for up to three years for the violation of indecent exposure laws. Eminent star powers such like Miley Cyrus and among others have joined in the Free the Nipple movement, and my girl Chelsea Handler is no exception.

Originally, Chelsea posted pictures on Instagram where her nipples were revealed and was aggravated when the social media company removed the posts due to the violation under the Terms & Conditions no one ever reads which prohibit the exposing of women’s nipples. As an avid follower, I was humored by her witty posts in response to the censorship Instagram imposed on her account. Chelsea was not at all attacked by followers but instead the backlash was against Instagram. As her battle continues, Chelsea has found clever ways around the no-nipples rule, and has continued posting:

“A Muslim allowed a topless Jew to sit on his camel. And we say we can't live side by side? I say we try and we can and we will. And, You don't even have to be topless. L'chaim”

In addition to the numerous posts that taunt and undermine the integrity of the largely popular social media platform, Instagram, Chelsea continues to post on Twitter which has and will remain uncensored so that her nipples are free and equal.

Although my intention is not to show my nipples to the world, I think it’s the principle that so many activists are fighting for, and I completely support it. Not only should men get behind this (I don’t think you’d mind us “freeing the nipple”), but other women should too. Why haven’t we thought of this before? Why is it okay for men to walk around shirtless, post pictures shirtless, and only have to buy bathing suit bottoms and not the top!? It’s a virtue that has been so far engraved in our society that the notion of living without it is almost unfathomable. Perhaps that change will never happen, which I am personally fine with, but to think that a woman might be thrown in the slammer for THREE YEARS for showing her nipple when it is readily accepted for men to walk around with their nipples free as can be is sexism.

The Free the Nipple campaign is only one aspect of the current feminist push our generation is spearheading with a sort of “sex-positive feminism” mantra. This issue is ours, it’s prevelant to our generation and we are the backing force that must notice the injustices against us. I did not always consider gender stereotypes - it seemed like an issue of the past. I was born in the 90’s. My mother had two children and a job and a salary near equal to my father’s and had attended college. I took the opportunity to earn a college degree for granted and I’m embarrassed to admit that when I had the chance to register to vote this past fall, I failed to recognize the privilege. Because I was born after many of the feminist leaps had already been made by previous generations of women, I am almost unaware of many of the hardships that were suffered for my equality and as I’ve come of age, it is becoming more clear that there is still work to be done.

The notion of sexual freedoms for women being positive might initially seem to be a no-brainer, but in fact I have witnessed and experienced sexual repression myself from women my own age. Several weeks ago at a party I was talking to a good guy friend of mine along with another girl. Suddenly a girl walked by, and yes she was a girl, because no woman would be so incredibly disrespectful, ignorant, and unknowingly enslaved to the misogynistic forces of society. Complete idiot.. anyhow, she walks up and says to the boy my friend and I had been conversing with, “Don’t hook up with these sluts”... I was in disbelief. True to my colors I decided it was best to stand up for myself and say something. I asserted my position, “I’m standing right here; I can hear you”, and this girl continued to ignore my presence and converse with this dude. I walked away because what may have come next would not have reflected well on myself, but I wanted to rip her hair out. I have such disdain for girls that are willing to demean their fellow woman for their sexuality; not only is it hypocritical but it’s serving the man! Stop being a subject of a patriarchally constructed norm and be proud of womanhood and female sexuality! I dislike this girl so much, whom I had never seen before and hope to never see again, that I hope she is reading this, this one's for you.

Not only is it important to stop the “slut-shaming” and the judgement concerning female sexuality, it’s important to embrace it with an in-your-face sort of beauty, a sort of proudness of the warmth and vulnerability we were gifted at birth. At this point in my life, I have zero desire to walk around topless and flash my boobs to public onlookers, but I completely support those that do. I’d even look at them and say, "hell yeah" as they flaunt themselves. The fear of being judged for being a sexual being (which is what we were born as) by both girls and guys is the sad truth so many girls my age face. Why are we taught from such a young age to cover up? I can remember my mother telling me multiple times throughout my 'risqué' teen years not to be one of the 'fast girls'. I’m all for girls respecting their bodies, and I completely stand behind the immense gravity and importance of a sexual experience but to assume that this experience is more detrimental to a girl than to a boy is ludacris. At the core of our beings, we are all born as sexual creatures, equally and unequally. Equally in that men are no more wired to reproduce than women are, and unequally in that every individual was born with a different sexual identity. How long is this double standard going to continue?

That said, the biggest issue with this sexual freedom for women is that people still have this notion in their head that when a woman and man participate in consensual sex it is somehow for the pleasure of the man, as if the woman is giving herself up to his subjectivity. Sex is an intimate thing (in case you were unaware), the woman is giving herself up in vulnerability as much or as little as she wishes and in the very same way a man is doing the same. The only reason people believe women are more emotionally connected to sex is because society alone has hardened men into believing they are not to be vulnerable, and women are withheld from sexual exploration through intimate relations with men, so that a single, “special” encounter has a long-lasting and sometimes detrimental effect. It’s not natural or biological for a women to experience guilt after partaking in sexual activity.

It’s 2015 and it’s time for the double standard of sexuality to die. If you’re not for it, perhaps you have your own moral inhibitions that are keeping you from the ultimate freedom and equality we all deserve. I would only urge you to examine where that moral code stems from. Who engineered the moral compass you allow to lead you? Don’t be blind; were those people looking out for your best interest? Living in a world where most societies are misogynistic and have been for centuries, I can speculate those men likely weren’t looking out for your best interest as a female individual. Look out for yourself and your fellow woman and be wary of what your mama told you! 

I love you Mom, don't be mad.