The world is full of double standards, and the comparison between men and women is surely no different. Feminism is absolutely an important aspect of today's society, making up 60% of the female population, according to the Washington Post. However, the "Free the Nipple" campaign is something I have a hard time supporting.
The "Free the Nipple" campaign is designed to desexualize breasts. It claims that women should be able and allowed to walk around comfortably without covering up their breasts. It says that the covering of the breasts of women is a double standard and women should be able to walk around topless as they please. Recently, a day dedicated to this campaign was planned on my college campus and I realized how much I do not support it.
Whether breasts should or should not be seen as sexual objects is a matter of opinion. It is not a question of whether or not this movement has good reason. It's the fact that the opposing side has so many good reasons why it isn't necessary. However, I believe that this aspect of the bodies of women is what makes our bodies feminine. Covering up leaves more to the imagination. Breasts are a large part of what makes women's bodies different from men's bodies, and to convince the general public that allowing everyone to be topless is something that makes me slightly uncomfortable. Leaving nothing to the imagination and making women's and men's bodies equal would take away so much of what makes people attracted to women ... the "mystery" of what lies beneath, so to speak.
Personally, I don't think I would be particularly comfortable walking around and seeing topless women everywhere, just because breasts have been seen as sexual objects for so long. Imagine this. You're at the beach with a date and attractive topless woman walks by. Sure, your date may not look at the woman, but at least I'm sure everyone would feel a little uncomfortable seeing another topless women when you're on a date. Women have always had to cover up, and trying to desexualize breasts is something that would take more than a simple movement. It would take hundreds of years to change the mindset of men to convince them that breasts are not sexual. It would be challenging to pass this movement because so many women also continue to see breasts as sexual as well.
Personally, walking around topless isn't something that's important to me at all, and I don't think I'm at any loss by covering up. Women's bodies should not be used for the sale of any product, and if feminists and "Free the Nipple" supporters fight for this, then they are not realizing that walking around topless in public will attract the same sort of attention, due to the way that breasts have been seen and portrayed for hundreds of years. I understand that the supporters of this movement want the double standards of toplessness to disappear, but we need to keep in mind that with the passing of this law, we are not changing the mindsets of men.
