Scout Willis, daughter of actress Demi Moore and actor Bruce Willis staged a social media protest against Instagram’s nudity policy last week as she took to the streets of New York City topless while also using her Twitter account to post pictures for a #FreeTheNipple campaign.
In the two pictures posted Scout Willis is wearing a flowing colourful skirt, the blonde beauty walked proudly past shops and restaurants, before bending down to pick up some flowers in a supermarket. Using the hashtag #FreeTheNipple – which really says it all – Scout captioned one shot: “Legal in NYC but not on @instagram,” and on the other, she wrote: “What @instagram won’t let you see.”
According to her she wasn’t just seeking attention when she stripped topless and she truly believes that with her protest she has helped create an opportunity to debate Instagram’s nudity policy.
First of all can we just take a minute to blame Rihanna for this debacle – the pop singer had her Instagram account suspended late last month after she posted tons of nude pictures from her feature in adult French magazine Lui as well as a feature in Vogue Brazil. While most of her fans loved it (of course) Instagram was not for it and shut down the account (after warning her severally that is).
Only a few days ago Rihanna attended a fashion event wearing a see through sheer dress that showed off generous doses of her breasts as well as her behind – and while we honestly think it is time for the world to just leave Rihanna and her tits alone, we also can’t help but shake our heads at the ripple effects Rihanna invariably causes.
Enter Scout Willis.
Maybe it is a fame thing (even though Scout is famous for nothing except having famous parents) or maybe it is a first world thing – regardless of the reason this issue just seems like a total waste of time and brain power. Should we really be talking about a protest to allow women show their nipples?
It seems not too long ago women were crazy and lamenting about how the media objectifies women – naked in music videos, naked in fashion magazines, naked in car commercials, naked everywhere to be honest – and here is a 22-year-old young girl basically staging a protest for women to continue being objectified. I think she needs a good knock on the head to help her screw her head back on but that’s just me.
Scout Willis wrote an article for XOJane.com a few days ago to address the attention she was getting from her #FreeTheNipple Protest and she stated, “I understand that people don’t want to take me seriously. Or would rather just write me off as an attention-seeking, over-privileged, ignorant, white girl. I am white and I was born to a high-profile and financially privileged family. I didn’t choose my public life, but it did give me this platform.I am not ashamed of who I am. And for every nasty comment I received there were ten more of support, appreciation, and empowerment.”
Again, this really just seems like a First World problem to be honest. Here in Nigeria over 200 girls are still missing after almost 8 weeks and we are still having terrorist attacks while our politicians are getting fatter bank accounts and lazier policies. But of course, let’s take a minute to discuss the half-naked girl walking around in New York City and how it all started.
Thinking of starting a new Instagram account as an experiment.Only beautiful, artistic nudes. And let’s see how long till I get kicked off
— Scout LaRue Willis (@Scout_Willis) May 27, 2014
Made a new Instagram,gonna post lots of beautiful photos of naked women I think.Tasteful, non aggressive, whomever wants to see can, if not
— Scout LaRue Willis (@Scout_Willis) May 27, 2014
But my account got deleted….
— Scout LaRue Willis (@Scout_Willis) May 27, 2014
To be honest I get where Scout Willis is coming from and I understand that in as much as men are able to show off their topless bodies women should be too but a nipple-baring man can never be the same as a nipple-baring woman. Guidelines, rules and restrictions are put in place to help us abide by a moral social conduct and you can’t even begin to imagine the things that will happen if we begin to break these rules down or protest against them.
Over 2o people also took to Washington park after Scout Willis’ strut in New York City. The Free The Nipple movement has become bigger than Scout Willis or Instagram or Rihanna and it is sad to see that this is time that could have been invested in more reasonable causes.
In all of this we have to ask where Demi Moore and Bruce Willis are. Do they see their daughter prancing about New York with her areola exposed? Are they proud? Are they puzzled? What is their reaction because there has been no justification on their path. Is it perhaps because there should be no justification for this kind of small-mindedness?
Scout Willis and her protest are misplaced. This should be a fight against the media objectifying women not a fight for social media to let women be naked whenever they want and #FreeTheNipple.
What is she thinking?
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