In support of the movement, models Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid have worn no bras multiple times.
When pictures of Miley Cyrus showing off her nipples on Instagram went viral in 2019, there was a lot of buzz about it. The singer-songwriter-actor, who was a strong and early supporter of the Free the Nipple movement, frequently appeared bare-chested and flashing her nipples in Instagram photos to show her support for the movement.
In support of the movement, models Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid have also worn sheer dresses and tops and bared everything. Zoe Kravitz, Rihanna, Cara Delevingne, Lorde, and Kim Kardashian have also been early supporters of the movement, revealing their breasts without bras.
Social media platforms Instagram and Facebook blur images of nipples and bare breasts, despite the fact that top influencers and celebrities have advocated for the practice.
However, Meta’s independent oversight board has reportedly decided to lift its stringent rule that had prohibited photos of bare breasts from being posted on Instagram and Facebook in a historic move, following the more than a decade-long Free The Nipple movement and protests that erupted in some parts of the world for the same.
The move also comes at a timely moment given that Oscar-nominated actor Florence Pugh recently addressed the controversy by stating, “I’ve never been scared of what’s underneath the fabric.” Pugh was seen wearing a sheer pink Valentino gown that revealed her nipples. I will wear it if I am content in it. Naturally, I do not wish to offend anyone, but I believe that my point is: How can my nipples be so offensive to you?”
Academics, politicians, and journalists make up Meta’s oversight board. According to The Guardian, it advised Meta on January 17 to alter its adult nudity and sexual activity community standard “so that it is governed by clear criteria that respect international human rights standards.”
Most likely, Meta will follow the suggestions.
Additionally, the board stated in its recommendation that “the (old) policy is based on a binary view of gender and a distinction between male and female bodies,” which renders the rules regarding bare nipples “unclear” for non-women. The board also argued that the policy was preventing women, intersex, non-binary, and transgender people from participating in the platforms.
This comes after the board overturned Meta’s decision to remove two Instagram posts with transgender and non-binary individuals’ chests exposed.
Meta’s strict nudity policy had long been the subject of debate, and it frequently criticized breastfeeding mothers.
In 2000, the Free The Nipple movement was founded with the goal of de-sexualizing the image of breasts. After heavily criticized Facebook’s removal of images from Lina Esco’s Free the Nipple documentary, it became widespread in 2012. Meta was accused of censoring nipples while allowing hate speech to circulate. In 2018 he stated, “It’s easier to build an AI system to detect a nipple than what is hate speech” in response to this.
