Full cup, demi cup, convertible, adhesive, strapless, lined and the unforgettable push-up bra; an endless variety cover runways and the media. We see the romanticism of bra’s everywhere— any skinny young model in a lingerie ad can attest to it. Women are surrounded by influences that tell us “this is what you should look like and a bra can help you (artificially) achieve that!”

Even before the age of puberty, we are encouraged into the piece of cloth that constitutes training bras. This being the preliminary step to preparing us for the end goal of our lives; to become a bra-beloving woman. Consequently, girls are then aspiring towards a goal before they are even biologically capable. Yet, we still question why sticking tissue down your chest is the reality of most girls; girls are educated to believe that their worth lies within a bra.

The simple solution? Ditching the bra. The issue? Once you ditch the bra, you’re left revealing the concealed and forbidden fruit of every women; the nipple.

The nipple of a female bodied woman. A structure shared by most mammals that’s sole purpose is to nourish and promote growth. It’s beauty is founded off the nurture it gave to every single one of us.

The nipple of a male-bodied person is a structure that serves no purpose to our development as humans. The physical properties of the nipple replicate a woman’s exactly, but receives no ridicule for public display.

We evolve from depending upon the female nipple for life to exiling it from public “etiquette.” A female’s nipple, which is far more significant to our development as humans, is also far more sexualized. What determines it’s sexualization will perplex me forever, and why it is only applied to a female, I’ll never know. What I do know is that we, as Brookline High School, are the promoters of its sexualization.

To the men whom it may concern, “supporting” the movement is not equivalent to appreciating it for it’s sex appeal. I am not empowered by your praise if it is followed by the word’s “it’s hot.”

To the women whom it may concern, your negative commentary is as impactful as a man’s sexualization. You can think I do it for attention, or for the allure of men, but your negative vocal opinion not only pits women against each other, it gives men affirmation that they can subject women to the same scrutiny.  

To all the opposition, supporters and genuinely confused, this is what it means to free the nipple. It means to appreciate the nipple, to destroy it’s sexualization, promote its worth as an anatomical structure and to equalize the female nipple to the sexually exempt male nipple. Starting conversations, accepting each other’s bodies and joining in with this movement are all ways that we can finally “free the nip.”