toxically trending

I’d seen the occasional post about the #FreeTheNipple campaign on Instagram, but I never really understood what the movement was about. It seemed to be a confusing, or rather a bazaar thing to me. Why are women protesting to get naked in public? But I was wrong. It’s a much more complicated campaign than that.

A lot of people believe it’s a feminist movement, encouraging women to go topless.

Which it is in a way. The Free the Nipple campaign is part of a mission to reclaim women’s bodies, sexuality, and safety. The movement isn’t demanding that every woman must walk around naked, but to give women the option to be shirtless, free of harassment and judgment. Like numerous other campaigns, the main focus is about equality and the empowerment of all human beings.

For decades, culture has fabricated men and women’s minds into thinking that women’s bodies are exclusively sexual and should not be on show. However, what is the real difference between men and women’s nipples? One of the many things women can do that men can’t, is produce milk for offspring. Which is rather essential right? And is it that, or should that not be the only reason for a woman’s breasts’ significance? A problem today’s society struggles with is having an open mind. This campaign is solely using the human anatomy as a foundation to demonstrate that women and men are equal. Toplessness is serving the #FreeTheNipple campaign not only as a platform, but also to de-sexualise women’s nipples.

Many celebrities have gotten involved in this movement including Bella Hadid, Cara Delevingne and Miley Cyrus. All three posted a picture on Instagram with their nipples on show, with the caption #FreeTheNipple. It’s not just singers, models or actresses who have joined the movement. In 2015, the Icelandic MP for the Bright Future party, Björt Ólafsdóttir, participated in the campaign through posting a photograph of her own nipple on Twitter. Her caption was “This is to feed children. Shove it up your patriarchy”. She’s right, no?

Despite the avid support from countless people, there are still some who are opposed to the idea of women going topless. Many criticise the movement for using women’s breasts to grab attention and fight for women’s rights in a male-dominated world, saying that men have consumed women’s bodies for their own pleasure for years. If the movement were to be successful, it may be a little weird to see the occasional boob in public at first. However, when it becomes a social norm, the fuss will eventually die down.

The more I researched and learnt about this campaign, the more I wondered about what other people thought. I took to the streets and asked several people, both men and women, what their opinions were:

Woman aged 25, “Free the nipple is an amazing campaign that shouldn’t have to be a campaign in the first place as boobs should not be sexualised, they’re for feeding babies! It shouldn’t be a thing of taboo.”

Male aged 19, student at UCL, “I support the Free the Nipple cause because the censorship of women’s nipple proves the implicit sexualisation of women’s bodies. Censoring women’s nipples is harmful as it objectifies women’s bodies into a purely sexual role. Breasts are not sexual organs and are simply secondary sex characteristics of women; their nipples are no different to those of men. In fact, they play a very important role in the relationship between a mother and child and censoring potentially educational images of breastfeeding is extremely harmful and reiterates this sexualisation rhetoric.”

Woman aged 18, student at Gloucestershire University, “I fully support the free the nipple campaign, I believe nipples shouldn’t be sexualised and that both females, as well as men, should have the legal right to show their nipples in public places such as beaches. Personally, I wouldn’t be comfortable enough to participate myself but fully support the woman who decide to do it.”

Woman aged 21, “I don’t understand why if men can walk around shirtless, women can’t. I think women are so casually sexualised and men walking around shirtless is so normal, so they aren’t sexualised when they do it even though it’s just as distracting really. I think if people start doing it people will get used to it and it’ll be more normalised, and it might also stop women from being so sexualised too. Also like breastfeeding is a natural thing so I don’t understand why people would be against doing that in public.”

Man aged 20, student at Gloucestershire University, “I completely agree with the fact women should have the right to walk around topless, like men. However, there is a concern that the level of sexual violence might increase. But then again, it comes back to the fact that nipples have been made out to be sexual, which they are not.”

Woman aged 18 ,“I support the free nipple campaign; I believe that women should be able to free the nipple without being sexualised or dehumanised. It is a normal body part that over the years has taken sexual priority, despite being a maternal feature that is needed for babies.”

This campaign can be, and should be, supported by all. It’s true that not every woman will feel comfortable walking around topless, but shouldn’t we fight for those who would? As said by Amnesty International “When everyone comes together to support women’s rights, we can be so much stronger”. So, what’s the next step? Well, perhaps we should start by freeing the nipple on our next grocery shop? u

Toxically Trending

by Ashleigh Poole

Our world today is forever moving, things are changing, and our environment is constantly adapting. This fast-paced routine fuels materialism and, in turn, creates the never-ending pressure to spend, and spend and spend. Take social media. What should be a platform with endless opportunities, is a breeding ground for negativity and the harmful expectation that everyone should be the ‘best’ version of themselves (on society’s terms, of course). Social media was once a brilliant place, somewhere to connect with loved ones and even somewhere to see parts of the world you might never get to otherwise. Now, consumers are frequently bombarded with adverts, scheming offers, and influencer posts, all so companies can make a profit off this obsession with what’s trending. The harmful culture of society’s online presence is what’s ruining our individuality. We’re no longer our own people, with unique outfits or distinctive hair colours - we see a trend and we follow like sheep. These platforms are a place for someone to post their best moments, a collection of highlights, if you like, and influencers discuss this regularly, yet we all seem to be brainwashed by the online culture. We’re living in the future, where trends are no longer set by runways, or fashion designers. We set our own trends online which means the transition into the ‘next big thing’ is happening faster than we can comprehend, so it should be almost impossible for millions of consumers to meet this societal expectation. However, we’re all so inclined to follow what’s trending and feel ashamed if we can’t afford to keep up with the movement. This affects us mentally, financially, and socially. It’s draining, to say the least. Things have majorly changed, and it’s so easy to forget this when you’re conditioned to live by these expectations. Originally, there were just four standard seasons in the fashion industry and now, according to the Slow Fashion Movement, there are a whopping 52 micro seasons in one year. That’s a new trend to adapt your wardrobe to every single week. If you followed all these materialistic movements, the stress you’d be faced with is unimaginable, so it’s no wonder that so many people experience pressure over the toxic disposable system of our society. TrustPulse found that 60% of people make purchases simply because of the ‘fear of missing out’ and that seven in ten people experience this feeling that’s been generated by society. ‘The fear of missing out’ is a term that was coined in 2004, after a phenomenon became apparent on social media of users feeling left out, and then participating in compulsive behaviour in response to this sense of anxiety. When it comes to materialism, FOMO will always play a part. Psychologically, humans have always suffered with the sensation, but we’ve only just devised a term for it. Persuasion and anxiety provoke us to play a part in consumerism, prompting us to purchase whatever might be in trend at that moment in time. People are increasingly becoming more aware of our corrupt system when it comes to materialism and why it’s so unhealthy to follow society’s developments. The more you research and process this information, the less it will affect you. If you can understand society’s toxic psychological tendencies, you can consciously improve your health and happiness. We’re all a victim to society’s destructive standards, but to conquer them, we need to change the way we live. Be yourself and express your individuality, before society takes it ufrom you.