When you think about it, women’s exposed nipples are a lot like the girls from Pussy Riot, only instead of being in jail for two years, women’s nipples have been banned from public life for as long as anyone can remember. It’s this great injustice that’s at the heart of Free The Nipple, a movie by Lina Esco based on the hashtag campaign by Lina Esco who I swear to God reportedly came up with it “while working with Miley Cyrus on LOL.”
A group of fearless women fight for their right to go topless in public, as they smash societal taboos one bare breast at a time. Based on a true story, this spirited satire follows New York City activists Liv and With, who take their crusade for gender equality from the streets of the urban jungle to the courts. More than just a movie, Free the Nipple has launched an empowering real-life movement, inspiring women across the globe to take back their bodies. Starring: Casey LaBow, Lola Kirke [younger sister of Jemima Kirke from Girls], Zach Grenier, Monique Coleman and Griffin Newman.
Yes, it has a character named “With” (played by Esco herself). I wanted to see whether that part of the story was true, but as you might imagine, Googling “Free The Nipple With” wasn’t particularly helpful.
“Free the nipple” has been a catchphrase of sorts for feminists who take issue with the fact that it’s illegal for women to go topless in so many states—but not men. And that catchphrase is the title of a movie, coming out in December and directed by Lina Esco.
Esco and Cyrus were working on 2012′s LOL together when Esco came up with the idea to make a movie about women challenging censorship laws. That idea eventually became a reality.
“I’ve always questioned the fact that women are not equal to men and that really bothered me,” Esco, who also stars in Free the Nipple, tells EW. “It’s not about going topless, it’s about equality.”
For any men who are tempted to make fun of this particular brand of equality, let me be the first to say “SHHHHHHHHHHHH.” Seriously.
This journalist once asked me, ‘Why are you making a movie called Free the Nipple and why are you going topless to prove a point about equality?’” Esco says. “I said, if I would have made a movie called Equality, and no one was going topless, nobody would be talking about it.” That shut the reporter up. [EntertainmentWeekly]
As much as I want to hate anyone and anything associated with Miley Cyrus in any way, she’s got a damned good point. Less helpfully, the trailer also points out that “one idea can reach more people in a week than Jesus, Buddha, or Moses can reach in over thousands of years,” (citation needed) and has a title card reading “No army can stop an idea.” Which reminds me of my favorite Public Enemy album, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold My Nipples Back.
Free The Nipple opens December 12th, and regardless of what you think of the movie, I stand behind this campaign 100%. So guys, remember:
Here’s the uncensored version: