Up until 1936, it was illegal for both men and women to
expose their chests in public. New York being the first state to legalize male
nipple exposure. Us women are still waiting for the day to come
for us to join our male brethren in these shirtless walks around the beach or
other places.
Today a women could be arrested and charged with public
indecency, disturbing the peace, or lewd behavior for being topless where it’s considered legal for men. Even though it is legal for women to take off their shirts in 36
states, they would still be flouting the law by being shirtless.
Yes, many could argue that a women’s breasts are “more
developed” than men’s and having them exposed would just make everyone “uncomfortable”. But let’s keep something’s in mind shall we:
-
A man or women showing nipples use to be
uncomfortable and illegal for everyone prior to 1936
-
Topless men are only sexual when they want to
be, but topless women are inherently sexual regardless of their actions due to
the sexualization of the female body as a mere object
-
It is only deemed wrong for women to show breasts
because society says so
-
In early stages of life it’s acceptable for males
and females to be topless but with age females get that societal right taken
away from them
-
Normalizing toplessness would be taking away
some of the cultural power that dictates women’s breasts can only be sex
symbols
It’s time we get past the societal restrictions that are
pushed onto women to stay covered up. It’s time we as a people realize the
actuality of this issue. Women are told to cover up a part of themselves that
is only OK to expose if you’re a man.
It's time we eradicate the negative connotation of women exposing their breasts in public.
Nipples are like bellybuttons, we all have them.
What steps can be taken to get past societal restrictions?
ReplyDeleteYou are to the point and clear, proving you are well aware of what you are aiming to persuade. You bring up points that are like a slap in the face and that make people think, such as "Topless men are only sexual when they want to be, but topless women are inherently sexual regardless of their actions due to the sexualization of the female body as a mere object". This blog is persuasive and guides readers to thinking about how to change the issue.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this post was super clear and to the point. I actually found it really helpful because I was in agreement on the topic before reading it, but didn't necessarily know how to put my thoughts into words. I think we will live to see a day where the nipple is freed, but it is going to take some time to get to that point.
DeleteI agree with your argument completely. I find that your points are valid and explain your argument and defend the argument perfectly. I liked your comparison to belly buttons as well I thought it was interesting using this example to connect men and women. Overall I thought this was an excellent blog.
ReplyDelete