Free the Nipple hits Iceland

I'm a naturist, not an exhibitionist.
So, if I were a woman, would I walk down the street in Iceland with these young women and bare my breasts in close-to-zero temperatures?
You bet I would.
They're not out there to shock the world, at least not in a negative sense. They may call themselves feminists, but what they want is just a logical progression from what has been happening in Europe for the past 60 years or so: after the bikini, women started going topless on Mediterranean beaches, then they brought that habit back to Western and Northern Europe. After all, if women can go sunbathe and swim topless on foreign beaches, why can't they do so in their home countries?
The wider acceptance of women's breasts as more than something to be watched by dubious men has gained ground, with breastfeeding and advertising and topless or naturist beaches spreading the idea that breasts are, well, breasts.
The newest movement has a feminist underground not seen since the 'Burn the Bra' calls of the 1960s. While not a follower of any rigid ideologies myself, I can see women have a point: if men can be 'topless' in certain situations, why can't women?
The Iceland event started with a feminist 17-year-old posting a close-up picture of a nipple, being criticized for it by men, and then coming back in a big way, with loads of Icelandic women and even a politician posting theirs.
While I'm not naive enough to believe that women with bare breasts will be walking around major cities in Europe any time soon, let alone in other continents, I think naturism can only benefit from the movement. Naturism is the acceptance of non-sexual nudity, be it male or female, be it young or old, be it thin or obese, every body can be free.
Free the Nipple activist and director Lina Esco was my Celebrity Naturist of the Year 2013, Scout Willis was my Celebrity Naturist of the Year 2014 (see below), and Adda Smaradottir is the subject of my first post on this blog for 2015, so the Free the Nipple Movement must be doing something right.
Unlike Femen, their actions are not designed as a negative statement to shock, but as a positive measure to allow women to be themselves, in real life and on social media which too often still treat women's bodies as porn.
Thanks to one 17-year-old in Iceland, March 26 will be come another date on the calendar, in addition to World Naturism Day and the World Naked Bike Ride. They day should be known as Free the Nipple Day, not just in cold Iceland, but all over the world.

Celebrity Naturist of the Year 2014: Scout Willis

There are moments in a person's life when you stop being seen as the son or daughter of your parents. Young people today no doubt think of Stella McCartney as a designer, and not necessarily as the daughter of Paul McCartney.
That moment happened this year for Scout Willis, yes, a daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore.
She put a picture on Instagram showing a piece of clothing with an image of two topless women. It got the photo removed. So instead of doing what most of us would do, swear at Instagram and do nothing, Scout Willis took action.
She walked down a New York street topless. While that might have gotten her arrested in any other town or country, in New York toplessness for women is legal. Bear witness to that a club of young women who go reading topless in parks. The difference here is that somebody famous actually benefited from that right and showed how silly Instagram's ban on topless women was.
Topless used to be something for women on holiday on Mediterranean beaches, but it has since vastly expanded to nearly all beaches in Europe, if not much beyond yet.
While running around topless in a city center is not naturism, it could be said to be the frontline of non-sexual social nudity. If the weather is hot, people should dress appropriately. No woman is going to walk around topless when there is snow on the ground, but if temperatures are high and humid, why not?
Topless activists also see a feminist and human rights dimension. If men can take off their tops to enjoy the sunshine, why are women not allowed to?
Last year, Lina Esco was named Celebrity Naturist of the Year because of her efforts to make a movie about toplessness, the product of which, Free the Nipple, recently appeared on US cinema screens.
Chelsea Handler made the news not once, but twice this year, first with her Putin 'imitation' and just ahead of my selection for Celebrity Naturist of the Year with a topless winter picture.
Topless activists are going to be around for some time, and I hope they are going to be the likes of Scout Willis, Lina Esco and Chelsea Handler rather than Femen. A member of that group recently attacked a Christmas stall and appeared inside Vatican City, but such actions are merely political provocation and do not benefit topfreedom or naturism, quite the contrary.
What we need is not violence, but the beautiful side of toplessness, such as breastfeeding, sunbathing and shopping.
Scout Willis pointed out the way to go, and her debate with Instagram can also be extended to other social media including Facebook.
For her efforts on behalf of the right of women to be topless when they choose, I named Scout Willis as the Celebrity Naturist of the Year 2014.
For her own comments and for the picture that got banned by Instagram, read this: http://www.xojane.com/issues/scout-willis-topless-instagram-protest