#Freethenipple is trending once more after a new wave of emancipated nipples hit social media sites in Iceland this week.
The movement started gaining momentum last year with campaigners asserting that breasts being treated solely as “sexual objects” was wildly unfair while men’s nipples continue to roam free and appear on social media without eliciting widespread outrage. Slebs including Lena Dunham and Scout Willis were among those to support the movement when it launched last year.
Recently Facebook updated their stance on nudity in its Community Standards forum under nudity, stating, “We also restrict some images of female breasts if they include the nipple, but we always allow photos of women actively engaged in breastfeeding or showing breasts with post-mastectomy scarring.”
This was a minor victory for the Brelfie Brigade but it seems a tad unfair that in order to post topless pictures, the breasts must be engaged in a ‘sanctioned’ activity such as breastfeeding. It seems a bit of nipple for nipple’s sake is still not acceptable.
The renewed interest this week comes after Icelandic student, Adda Þóreyjardóttir Smáradóttir declared yesterday, March 26, as Free the Nipple day at her school. A male peer disagreed with the proposed Free the Nipple day and posted a picture of his bare chest on social media saying that this wouldn’t be considered appropriate at school either.
Adda, who is also chair of the Feminist society at The Commerical College of Iceland, responded by posting a chest-baring pic also. Her photo immediately drew the ire of online commenters who proceeded to shame her for the pic, thus inadvertently proving that the double standards she is trying to highlight do, in fact, exist.
Soon hoards of women and men were posting their own pictures to Twitter with the #freethenipple to support Adda and the cause.
A notable show of support came from Icelandic parliament member, Björt Ólafsdóttir, who wrote on her Twitter: “This is for feeding babies. Shove that up your patriarchy.”
Þessi er hérna til að gefa börnum að borða. Troðiði því upp í feðraveldið á ykkur. #FreeTheNipple pic.twitter.com/4HmYzJO08k
— Björt Ólafsdóttir (@bjortolafs) March 25, 2015
chillin #FreeTheNipple @gatistiganum pic.twitter.com/YKdSMqHpqJ — Rakel Sigurðardóttir (@rsigurdardottir) March 26, 2015
When American women gain the same courage as Icelandic women it wouldn’t be long before #FreeTheNipple becomes as relavant as #freetheankle
— FreeThinker (@Guy4Progress) March 26, 2015
