Equality in Nipple Exposure: Rethinking Social Media Censorship

I’m offended. Forget women’s titties. Look at all those man-nipples on social media! Men have their shirts off, and their skin on display. All of it. Everything is exposed. There is evil out there. We already know women’s chest tips offend. It’s only fair to get rid of male nipples too. It’s equality. Right?

A rare few of you know I am/was a photographer, not just an author. Occasionally, I’ll post my work on social media. I’ve posted flowers, landscapes, animals, and nudes. Everything is perfectly fine. When nudes appear, they create controversy. My usual notification is a threat to ban me from posting any further photos.  

Okay, I know my pics aren’t of a sexual nature. Some would say that I’m super-conservative when it comes to nude photography — I don’t titillate enough. I don’t push the sexual element enough. I get that. But that’s me. This is how I relate to nudity.

But that’s not how nipples are measured in this social, highly sexualised world. Any female nipple picture is provocative. Females. Yes, female nipples.

Guys are different. A guy can climb to the top of a building, hang ’em out on display, and give ’em a good ol’ tweak above a bustling city precinct and not worry about a thing.

I can post a high-definition picture of him doing that, magnify his chest ten of thousands of times, knowing it can go out into the world without a care.

But the female nipple is a precious commodity. It belongs to no one but its owner. It’s therefore banned for everyone else to use. Even if she grants permission. Even if she was the one taking the photo.

I’ve got to be careful with poses and lighting that might show a wayward nipple. It doesn’t matter why or how they’re displayed — if it’s a female nipple, the image will be removed! 

Then, as we make one argument about that, there’s that other confounding debate about nipple exposure during breastfeeding. Is a food boob allowed? The nipple is okay to show if a baby’s mouth is nearby. That’s a context that’s not sexual. But not everyone is happy with that either. What if the sickos see through that? What stops the prudes from pruding against the sickos? Who will protect us from our evil selves?

The answer is simple: equality. We shouldn’t separate man-nips into one category and lady-tips into another. There should be fairness and an absolute balance.

Please help me share the word about having male nipples excluded from social media :). *wink*

–Michael