Letting Loose the Inhibitions

In the 1960s, women burned bras in protest. So is it any wonder that I, a feminist, would refuse to wear one? Of course, I'm a native Houstonian, which means I've seen shirtless men in speedo shorts jogging around my city's streets - the same city that arrested several women for protesting in bikinis a few years ago (though I can't remember what they were upset about). In Canada, women raised the bar on protests: they did them topless.

Why are women expected to wear more? And why are women still complaining that men keep looking at us as bodies, and then ignore our eyeballing gestures in their direction? Why do we privilege male bodies as non-sexual, and yet condemn them as sexual maniacs, perverts, rapists, etc.?

It's time, I think, that we women grow up! We can't have it both ways; we need to recognize that both men and women are made up of bodies and minds, and that we each have the potential to be sexually licentious and free.

As for me, I rarely approach anything without first seeing what happens. That's why I've been working on the public no bra thing since 2003. It only took until Fall 2007 for me to completely refuse wearing bras under my tops. And, yes, I have large breasts; but outwardly, I'm just a body - like any other person around the world.

The difference is that I'm not afraid to reveal my imperfections. Of course, I'm fat, so I can get away with not caring about "pretty."

For whatever reason, though - just to sidetrack - I got into wearing my hair pulled back. At least, until an undergrad said something about images that show we're studious. Since that conversation two weeks ago, I've been wearing my hair down in public. (At home, I still pull it back when I'm preparing food, etc.; usually I'm too lazy to pull out the hair thingee, so it regularly stays in my hair until I'm ready to go to sleep.)

Anyway, I started thinking, and I came to the conclusion that the reason we women continue committing to being bra-wearing slaves is that we're projecting an image of what we shouldn't be: scared. Yes, wearing a bra means you're scared to go against social conventions that privilege the male body while also condemning women's bodies as sexual-specific.

I'm sorry, but I have to tell you: Men's bodies turn me on. (Remember, I'm heterosexual.) Any woman who is into men is lying if she says men's bodies don't present a turn-on. Grow up! Women are just as sexual as men are - and we need to own this!

Why do we harp on strippers and other women who aren't afraid to expose themselves? Because they're not afraid of themselves!

Oh yes, you have to be comfortable with who you are first before you'll ever feel safe to walk outside of the boxes society has pushed us into from the moment we were declared women (or girls, whatever). I mean, we're ridiculous. By the time female toddlers turn into girls, we're covering them up, but not the boys. They get to run around topless, and we think it's okay!

Seriously, we are a society hooked on child pornography, because we're constantly displaying babies in just their diapers and calling that cute! Then, because we're prudes, we have to cover up our girls, and this creates a complex. The result is women are scared of their own bodies!

We should be celebrating every woman who's not afraid to challenge conventions! Why are people upset over celebrities like Brittany Spears? Because they're not hiding behind false pretenses! (Seriously, why do we forget that they're people, too?)

You're probably wondering, though, what all of the above has to do with my choosing not to wear bras and letting my hair down. What I'm saying is: It's time we women broke the mirrors. We need to rebuild ourselves to define our own paths. We need to refuse any action that sets us apart from men. We need to disrupt the whole idea of gender. We need...