If you're on any sort of social media, you've probably come across something about the "Free the Nipple" movement that's currently taking place. In a nutshell, there are many women (and men) who are protesting and making stands in various ways the fact that, in many places in the United States, it is legal for a man to be topless but not a woman. A lot of the women fighting for "nipple equality" or whatever you want to call it are indeed feminists. And believe it or not, yes, they are aware that there is an anatomical difference between men and women in the chest area. Many traditional folks are disgusted by this sort of protest, especially when it is garnering support from the likes of Miley Cyrus. Some think that nipples are lewd, that women going topless is shameful and disgusting, or that it is not modest and therefore against their religion, whether that be Christianity or something else. But let's consider something here. Miley Cyrus gets so much attention for showing her nipple for no reason other than that it's not really something you're supposed to do in this country. If it were commonplace, no one would really pay attention. I am not a nudist, and I see many reasons why both male and females should not expose their genitals in public (outside of nude beaches, etc.), but I am in favor of the "Free the Nipple" thing. There are several reasons why that is, in addition to the fact that it would actually diminish the power that Miley Cyrus has.
First of all, because I am a Christian, I need to say that this belief does not go against the Bible from my point of view. Does it go against traditional Conservative Christianity in the United States? Absolutely. But is it a sin? I certainly can't find any scriptures that say so. Is it a good idea to go topless in most places? Probably not. The Biblical argument that can be used against it is that women should not do it if it can cause a man to stumble or lust after her. And if going topless is going to cause a man to stumble or lust, while wearing a bikini or just regular clothes would not, then don't do it, but I don't buy that this is always the case. Because it's not. And because pretty much every man has lusted after women who are fully dressed in layers of winter clothes as well. Should a woman go over a married man's house and hang out topless in his backyard? I don't think so. That's probably not wise thing to do, for many reasons. But should a woman have the option to take off her top in the same places that men have that option? Even though women are different anatomically, I will actually agree with the feminists here and state that I believe the answer is yes, for the sake of equality.
The Bible says that women should dress modestly. But many churches today take that notion vastly out of context. I Timothy 2:9-10 states that women should "adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh woman professing godliness) with good works." Modesty appears to refer to not wearing expensive things or drawing special attention to yourself. Note that this verse does not say, "not with the showing of shoulders or any part of the breasts (for God despises cleavage of any sort), nor showing too much leg (or back), and certainly none of the belly, but with fashions to the knee and loose fitting garments." I've been in churches where I would swear that's what they thought it said. Let me state that I do not believe that it is appropriate for men or women to attend a church service topless. In our culture, this would seem to be disrespectful to God. And I understand to some extent why there are dress codes in churches. After all, there are workplace dress codes. Men and women can't go topless at work either (in most 9-5 professions anyway). But telling people what they should or should not wear in their life outside of church (or that males and females should not swim together unless both are fully clothed--I was in a church that said this, no kidding) crosses a line.
Let's take a look at some examples of nudity in the Bible. We all know that Adam and Eve were naked, and in Genesis 3:7, after eating the fruit, they realize this, and the King James Version says that they then made aprons out of fig leaves. Other versions say loincloths, but I don't believe there are any versions that note that the woman covered her breasts but the man did not. It makes no distinction here. What is clear is that both Adam and Eve covered their genitals, the organs which God made for reproduction and sex.
We all know the story of King David's sin with Bathsheba. In 2 Samuel 11:2, David was walking on his roof and he saw Bathsheba washing herself (naked, presumably), and as we see in the verses that follow, he decided to commit adultery with her and murder her husband. Surely this story is here to point out that women should always be fully clothed, right? Look what happens when they're not! They cause men to sin! NO. The Bible indicts David here. Yes, 2 Samuel 11:2b notes that she was "very beautiful to look upon." That's how God created her. Women are works of God's art. And yes, men enjoy seeing breasts, but this is no excuse to sin! The problem here was what David did next. The Bible makes it clear that David's lust, adultery, and murder were terribly wrong and sinful. It does not say that Bathsheba should not have been washing herself where anyone could see her.
The culture in our society is different. We typically don't see people bathing from our rooftops. But we typically don't baptize people naked anymore either. That's right. Early Christians were baptized by immersion naked. We don't do that now, and that's a good call culturally, but it takes down any arguments where Christians try to say something should be done exactly as the early church did it, regardless of a different culture. And arguments stating that the Bible tells women to cover everything up at all times hold no water. People who take the stance that "you're not born gay" in the gay marriage debate, but fail to mention the irrefutable fact that "you're born naked" are laughable as well.
Breastfeeding or just relaxing topless are not disgusting or lewd things. They are perfectly normal behaviors. Jumping into a pool with a shirt on is abnormal behavior. I did this once at a Christian camp where the rule was that all guys and girls had to be wearing a shirt when they went into the pool together. It was unnatural and uncomfortable. I am not meant to wear a shirt in the pool. Few people are. It actually felt wrong. As for women, hey, maybe bathing suits or bikinis are more comfortable than a shirt, but if you're in a spot where men can go without a shirt, you should have that option as well. If it's a hundred degrees outside and you want to take off your shirt, you should have that option.
We all have nipples. Yes, men are wired differently and more stimulated visually, but women can lust after shirtless men too. It's not up to a woman to control a man. A man must have self-control. There is no excuse for bad behavior or sin. MAN UP! A woman doesn't make you do anything by the way she dresses. That notion needs to disappear from Christianity in the United States. Sadly, and certainly without intending it, many churches foster cultures where women are blamed for things that they should not be blamed for, and where sexual assault can be borne out of sexual repression, fear, and a lack of frank and open conversations about sexuality.
Finally, to break down the psychology of various stats of undress, I will point out that on beaches where topless women are common, it is not a big deal, because it is normal. Bikinis are often more seductive anyway, and quite honestly, there are a lot of women who look better in bathing suits than without them, and there are also those who are not exactly pleasant to look upon while in a bathing suit or topless, but that does not mean that they should not be allowed to go around topless. Think of how many men you have seen without a shirt in your life that you wish you had not...
Whether or not a woman is "beautiful to look upon," a woman should not be shamed because of her body, and to some extent, that's what this double standard does. Plus, allowing men but not women to go topless adds to the idea that a topless woman is always a sexual thing. That in itself is dangerous. Plus it's ridiculous. How much hypocrisy is present when a woman is allowed to wear a thong and show nearly the entirety of both breasts in public or on television, and that is considered acceptable, but the moment the nipple makes an appearance, it's not? We are a strange people.
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