I'd be willing to bet that about half of the people who read that title rolled their eyes and scoffed at it. What they don't understand is that there is more to "Free The Nipple" than a bunch of girls not wanting to wear bras (which I am also an advocate for). "Free The Nipple" is actually a movement (as well as a movie) targeting equality between men and women. The movement is bigger than you may realize having caught a lot of public attention especially with celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Chrissy Teigen and Lena Dunham supporting it. What the movement is targeting is equality in censorship and the legal right to breastfeed in public. Less than 100 years ago it was illegal in all 50 states for men to be shirtless on a beach. Now guys never set foot on the beach with a shirt on, and every time we turn our TV on we see a shirtless guy (not complaining). However in 37 states women are still being arrested for going topless which too often includes breastfeeding.
Why are men able to be topless and have no one think twice about it while women could be arrested for doing the same? Society (mainly men) have sexualized breasts to the point that it seems inappropriate to have them out in public. Actor Matt McGorry of "Orange is the New Black" joined the movement in a big way with a lengthy Insta post in which he photoshopped Miley Cyrus' and Chrissy Teigen's nipples over his own.
He says it best in his caption "The banning of women's nipples may sound normal or even inconsequential as you think, 'Well, women's nipples are more sexual than men's nipples'. But that’s not some scientific fact. It’s because of how our society so heavily sexualizes women. And it should be up to the individual woman to decide if she wants to show them, just like men have the choice". PREACH.
Another reason for this movement is the hope for women everywhere to be able to breastfeed their children in public without getting nasty looks and risking incarceration. This is something natural for the human body to do and is actually the only authentic purpose for breasts. However due to the over sexualization of breasts women are not allowed to do what their body was built to do for their child unless they are in the privacy of their home.
Our society has become too advanced in other areas for us to still have double standards. This movement is important because it attempts to strip society of it's hypocrisy and sexism. Beginning with something as small as a nipple, the movement has become pretty large. Join the movement and #FreeTheNipple.
