So, is this allowed Instagram?

  • Lulu Richards

A short opinion piece I wrote and illustrated for my art page; 'It’s something I have never been able to understand how men’s nipples are purely another fairly mundane aspect of their anatomy but female nipples are sexualised, prohibited, censored and banned. A woman not wearing a bra is seen as provocative or taken as a political statement, and if she were to post a topless photo on Instagram, that would be seen as a ballsy possibly career ending move met with either a wave of applause at her courageous defiance of the system, or disgust and disapproval at her exhibitionism, ‘attention seeking’ or perversion, when really, should it be met with either? Of course we know the reactions if a man’s nipples are to surface on our home feed... pretty unexcited either way unless he has a particularly nice physique .. Perhaps porn is the cause? An industry that has helped sexualise the female body into a mere voyeuristic image? Or perhaps it is the decades, centuries even of shaming women’s naked bodies into thinking it almost perverted (another way to keep women apologetic, ashamed, meek and unconfident). Or is it because female nipples can be used to feed new life and are therefore a powerful and important part of female anatomy, so of course should be reduced to mere sexualised and prohibited ‘objects’? if anyone knows the answer, do let me know..'