For
me, it is my usual naked Sunday today, spent without clothes (just as
every day at home, actually). For many protesting and activist women and
men supporting them, today is Go Topless Day.
This
special awareness day is celebrated annually, mostly in the USA where it
was established in 2007 and first observed in 2008. The date is defined
by the US-American Women's Equality Day, which is celebrated on August
26, commemorating the certification of the 19th amendment of the US
constitution on August 26, 1920, giving women the right to vote. Go
Topless Day is always scheduled on the Sunday nearest to that date.
Since
first observed, Go Topless Day has spread all over the world, with much
help of the internet, of course, where social media as well as women
networking apart from them have helped spreading the message and the
very legitimate question "why is it legal for men (especially the big
ones) to bare their bellies and man boobs? Why is it illegal for women
to do so???" In the spirit of equality, the only way can be to allow
everyone doing that, or to forbid everyone baring their upper body. The
clothing industry wold rejoice at a ban of toplessness for everyone...
men would be required to hide their chest, too, when swimming. Imagine
that: bikini tops on man boobs!
OK,
there will always be people who will say "Ewww, gross!! I don't want to
see either of them! Make the world cover up!!". That would be one
solution to the matter of topless equality, but not the right one for
the matter of topfreedom - everyone should be free to bare their chest
or their whole body, for that matter.
Nudity, in part
or whole, is merely the most natural state of being for humans. Clothing
and shoes were invented to provide protection from the elements. It is
quite clear, that in places with the right climate, people living in
accord with Mama Nature are very often fully naked.
They
do not know any of our "civilized" concepts of shame, sin or immodesty
that are quoted, when nudity is concerned. It's just the natural and
traditional way of being to them.
Here's a collection
of very colorful as well as beautiful pictures featuring natives from
Africa, Asia and South America by Serge Giraud on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sergeguiraud/
Now,
on Go Topless Day, the topic are breasts. In many countries and states,
women are dicriminated against, frowned upon, hassled, incriminated or
even assaulted for baring their breasts, even if it's just for sakes of
the natural function of breastfeeding.
"Many people in US think that breastfeeding is only for the first
couple of months of an infant's life, or mostly up to year. Experts
don't agree with this. World Health Organization (WHO) recommends
breastfeeding to 2 years of age, and American Academy of Pediatrics
clearly states in their policy statement
Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk, "
Exclusive
breastfeeding is ideal nutrition and sufficient to support optimal
growth and development for approximately the first 6 months after birth." "
It is recommended that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months, and thereafter for as long as mutually desired."
In many other cultures worldwide and in most of the history children
weaned even much later. Comparing humans to our closest animal
relatives, Katherine Dettwyler has estimated that the
natural age
of weaning in humans would be between 2.3 and 7 years. Many women in
the world and even in today's America do let children self-wean, and
those allowed to do so, usually wean between 2 and 5 years of age. The
benefits of breastfeeding don't stop at any age."
(Source:
http://www.007b.com/ - an inspirational and very informative web resource about breasts and their natural function)
This
is what breasts are about. For all of us, who have been nursed the
natural way, our mother's breasts were our first and best source of
nourishment. And, if we were fortunate, we were allowed to enjoy this
special bond to our mother as well as to Mama Nature for as long as
possible. In creating the various taboos about them, breasts have become
an object of sexual desire and a turn-on for men, mostly. "Of course
breasts are a female body part, and there is nothing wrong in
seeing them beautiful body parts. But let's let them be like legs,
hips, neck, face, and all the other parts of a female—not like some
nearly inanimate objects that automatically "click" men's brains' to the
"turn on" mode." (quoted from 007b.com).
Of course,
breasts are beautiful. Being a man, I can't say otherwise. Being a man, I
also say, that faces, hands, legs, arms, feet, bellies, hips and butts
are beautiful... female and male alike, according to my taste, too. This
is not to merely copy the quote above, but my personal feeling that
human bodies are wonderful works of art, created by Mama Nature in Her
best way.
Treating human beings and their bodies with
respect, love and compassion is to act in the best spirit of treating
Mama Nature the same way. And especially the female body once used to be
worshipped as the living representation of the Great Goddess Herself.
We all know the ancient statuettes like the famous "Venus von
Willendorf" (here in the middle in the picture below), with large
breasts and broad hips, celebrating Nature's fertility and blessings.
While
it might sound primitive to us "civilized" people of the present to
worship femininity in this respect, we can learn an important lesson
from it. The depiction of women's bodies in their natural state, partly
or fully naked, should be treated no longer as a turn-on, but a
celebration of out Great Mother, Mama Nature, and Her natural qualities.
There
are women out there, brave and beautiful, doing just that, showing it
to us by ways of art. They are advocates of Go Topless Day, too, as well
as celebrating their femininity, along with the beauty of being
life-givers.
I
know, that people, who still are caught in the taboo trap will see
these pictures mostly as turn-ons... and, yes, these are beautiful
women, to be sure. But their nude beauty, as well as every other nude
woman's and every nude man's beauty, transcends sexuality. Don't get me
wrong, I am not an asexual being, just tuned to the spiritual aspects of
bodies. Not at all! But: have learned to look at human beings,
especially when naked, in more than just one way.
And,
as we can learn from the Himba women, there's also a happy and playful
way to deal with breasts... as they show us here, fascinated by their
fair-skinned topless sister:
We can learn so much from so-called "primitive" people...
My blessings to you for a merry Go Topless Day.
