So, what’s the deal with it being okay for men to go topless, and not women? You might think that a man is writing this, but not so fast – I’m definitely female. I just think that it’s absurd that men can flash their hairy, sweaty, potentially offensive man-boobs all over the nation and women can’t bare their own. This isn’t about men’s rights to ogle women’s naked breasts on city streets, at the beach and other places where it’s acceptable for men to be shirtless. It’s about equal rights, and the fact that society’s sexualization of breasts shouldn’t make them so ’shameful’ that we feel the need to keep them covered up all the time.
Personally, my main issue with this is where it falls in line with breastfeeding rights. A woman feeding her child in public the way nature intended accidentally shows a little boob, and by the usual reaction you’d think she just played a porno on her laptop in a public square. Discrimination against women who are doing the most basic and natural of acts in a public place is ridiculous, unfair and harmful to babies since it discourages many women from breastfeeding at all.
GoTopless.org, an organization that claims that women have the same constitutional right to be bare chested in public as men, is organizing a ‘National Go Topless Protest Day’ for August 23rd. From the site:
Currently, women who dare to be topless in public in the US are repeatedly being arrested, fined, humiliated, criminalized. On Aug 23rd, 2008, topless women will rally in great numbers across the USA to protest this gross inequality in the law and will demand that they be granted the fundamental right to be topless where men already enjoy that right according to the 14th amendment of the Constitution.
Across America, topless women and men will peacefully rally in the streets, parks, on the beaches of their towns and cities. Activities will start at NOON local time in each city
Topfree performances will be given by various artists to honor Women’s Equality Day and to convey how natural it is to be topfree for women in public just like it is for men. Please write to us if you are an artist who would like to participate in one of our shows.
Check out the GoTopless.org website to get info about events in your area.
Link [GoTopless.org]
