There’s a growing movement for top-free equality, especially in the United States, as topfreedom is legal for women in all of Western Europe and Canada. This controversial issue also includes the right of women to breastfeed in public.
During my days spent in a moralistic chokehold, I was staunchly against such an “indecent display of female flesh.” No surprise there.
Spiritual liberation and the mere fact that I now operate a related blog have been cause to pause and ponder.
But why exactly is it taboo for women to bare their breasts in public? After all, no other part of the male body seems to be given such “preferential” treatment. “I’ve seen men with bigger breasts than me. Why can they go about shirtless but I have to cover up?” a braless, freespirited woman once quipped to me. Topfreedom activists have a point there, don’t they?
Let’s sit back and consider the merits of the case.
Consider the similarities and differences between men and women. For every uniquely female organ, there seems to be a male counterpart. Breasts stand alone in this respect. (So do uteruses, but the focus is on external, or near external organs).
Men’s chests and nipples are also erogenous zones, but biblical, anecdotal and medical evidence strongly suggest women’s breasts are far more sensual.
The fact is breasts are both sexual and nonsexual organs.
As I’ve matured, I’ve come to the conclusion that breasts aren’t as big a deal as other private parts. Yes, they’re still sexual, but there’s a reason Isaiah 66 doesn’t say “you will drink deeply and be satisfied from her comforting vagina” and Proverbs 5:19 doesn’t exhort husbands to let their wives genitals, buttocks or other parts satiate them.
Breasts are a source of sexual, emotional and nutritional satisfaction, all rolled up into two beautiful organs.
They’re far more glorious than a man’s chest. God has designed them, in both form and function, to differ markedly from a man’s.
So what’s the final verdict?
Again, breasts aren’t as private as a woman’s more feminine parts, so we should jettison the hype and commodifying oversexualization we impute upon them. But honestly, if I lived in a society in which my future wife lived a top-free lifestyle, I think a little of the wedding night euphoria of unhooking her bra and latching for the first time would subside. Seeing her breasts before knowing her name would diminish some of the excitement of discovery. So personally, I won’t be for my future wife or daughter going about topless, though I see nothing wrong with artistic female toplessness. But that’s just me.
That being said, I also do think men being shirtless in public is tacky and unprofessional.
What about you? What are your views of topfreedom? Do you see a possible connection between top-free equality and ANR?
Christ-centered ANR 