Everyone's supposed to have two. Some people have less than two arms, but rarely have more. Whereas it's pretty common for people to have a slightly higher than average nipple count. Friends logic would suggest that it's even as common as one in six of us.
So riddle me this then. Why am I not bothered if my run-of-the-mill arms are naked and out there for the world to see, but when it gets cold in a supermarket I immediately wish I was born a boy?
Did you know:
- I won't go in a supermarket without a jacket.
- I don't not wear bras in public. Ever.
- Actually, when I'm in the gym, I wear two bras.
The issue is that anyone with a breast larger than a cookie can feel instantly sexualised at the hint of a jiggle or a cool summer breeze. And believe it or not, when I'm searching for chicken fillets, I don't need anybody looking at mine.
This is the problem though isn't it. We have this male-gaze complex. By hiding any part of our body, we make it an enticing mystery, so it encourages attention, which makes us embarrassed, so we hide it further. It's an awkward sexualisation/ashamed areola shaped circle.
So campaigns like Free the Nipple aren't a joke. Women can't breastfeed their children without hiding under a blanket and profusely apologising. I can't go out in one of those lovely delicate lace bras. Women's bodies aren't normalised. Let's not forget, in certain parts of the world women still can't show their ankles.
It's not necessarily a gendered issue, men need to stop sexualising women's bodies and so do women. Women need to stop believing they are sexualised.
Normalise nipples. Free the nipple. Nips for one and nips for all.
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