Women fight breast censorship with male nipples

Why are female nipples so much more taboo than male ones? Photo / Facebook

Women are fighting censorship of their breasts on social media by covering them with images of male nipples.

The quirky idea came about last year when artist Micol Hebron posted an image of a male nipple on Facebook, suggesting women stick it over their own nipples to circumvent censorship.

However, the image has this week been revived as part of the Free the Nipple campaign, by women who are frustrated by the taboo of female nipples.

Facebook's community standards page states that the site will "restrict some images of female breasts if they include the nipple". Instagram allows images of the female nipple but only in photos of "post-mastectomy scarring and women actively breastfeeding".

Free The Nipple is a US-based campaign that seeks to end the censorship of women's nipples. It has many high profile supporters, including Miley Cyrus and Lena Dunham, and has spread its message through social media.

The group also produced a Free the Nipple film that "follows a group of young women who take to the streets of New York City topless, to protest the archaic censorship laws in the United States."

Join the conversation on the Herald Life Facebook page

- nzherald.co.nz