Life

Show Your Breasts If You Care To (A Lil' NSFW, FYI)

by Nathalie O'Neill

This morning, this was on tumblr:

The middle photo, a reply to the claim that women with morals don't show their breasts, is from ladyunlaced, who explains: "Just because someone shows their tits, doesn’t mean they don’t have morals. The human body is a natural thing and showing it off is NOT degrading." Hear, hear.

The last photo, from the tumblr I Will Not Shave My Vagina, makes a really good argument. Basically, men dictate which body parts are sexualized and should therefore be hidden. Case in point: this photo series was posted to Facebook and banned for ten days, despite the very clear tagline.

This all reminds me of Femen, the Ukrainian feminist protest group. Members of Femen use their breasts as a canvas for their demands, reclaiming the right to display their own bodies and using the scandalous nature of exposed skin as a political attention-getting tool:

The "sextremist" movement has expanded from its Ukraine homebase, showing up in protests across Europe. One member, with the words "Fuck dictator!" painted on her chest, recently rushed toward Russian president Vladimir Putin as he was meeting with German chancellor Angela Merkel, getting close enough for the two politicians to notice her before being whisked away by security. A few weeks ago, members of Femen crashed the finale of Germany's Next Top Model with their breasts reading "Heidi Horror Picture Show." And on Monday night, three Femen activists were arrested as they protested Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko's visit to Ukraine.

It's your skin. Do with it what you want.