January 2011
In regards to Topless Tuesday (A rant no one will read)
I don’t like TT because, to me, there’s way too much social pressure on women to participate and it gets kind of objectifying. At the same time though we live in a country where I, a male, am allowed to walk around topless but a woman is told doing the same is indecent. It reinforces the notion that female sexuality is the cause of male promiscuity. It promotes a victim blaming mindset. That is blatantly sexist and wrong. While I respect and admire how some women don’t want to post because of their boy/girlfriend or don’t want to give in to that male pressure, your body is not his/her. If you don’t want to make your partner feel uncomfortable or threatened, you shouldn’t post, and should feel good about that decision. But do not imply that because of your relationship your partner has ownership of your body. It may seem like a harmless comment, but trust me it really reinforces a bad mindset. So while you should be proud of how you don’t give in to pressure, please remember that some women can be equally empowered by displaying their natural beauty. They can feel empowered by showing confidence in how they look, or saying “Fuck you patriarchy, my body does not need to be hidden to keep your sexual urges in check”.
