If 2014 has been the Year Of The Booty, 2015 seems poised to be the Year Of The Nipple—at least, if Lina Esco has any say in the matter. The actress/filmmaker's latest project is Free The Nipple, a film inspired by the movement.
#Freethenipple dominated our social feeds this summer, gaining momentum with support from celebs like Rihanna, Miley, and various Willis sisters. Then, at the Spring/Summer 2015 Fashion Week shows, nipples were freed on multiple runways, with models in completely sheer tops. The upcoming movie—and the attention it's already getting—is solidifying the nipple's time to shine.
Though it's a satire (not a documentary), the film is inspired by the real experiences of activists who protested nipple censorship by taking to the streets of New York City, topless. In NYC, it's legal to be completely bare-breasted in public and has been since 1992, but women are still arrested for it. Other states are stricter: In fact, it's illegal in 35 states for women to be topless, even if you're breastfeeding.
The film asks us to consider, "What's more obscene: Violence or a nipple?" While graphic images of gratuitous violence—and sexualized violence, for that matter—are allowed to appear just about anywhere without question, women's nipples are censored and labelled obscene. Notably, men's nipples are not. It's a single issue that sums up a really big, important picture: Sexism is alive and well in America, from legislation to Instagram rules.
Free The Nipple is coming out on December 12. Check out the trailer to tide you over—and then just try to keep your shirt on. (Just kidding, you don't have to: We support the freedom of nipples everywhere.)