This is a nipple. I test knit the pattern for a friend for a forthcoming project to reclaim the nipple. She’ll explain her reasons for the project on her site, but I’ll give some of mine here.
I was astounded by the reaction to the Janet Jackson nipple incident whenever that was, I don’t remember, but I was shocked by the rediculous outcry and all the letters to the FCC. People in this country (USA) seem to completely equate nudity with sexuality. Why this is, I don’t know, but I am sure it has to do with the Puritan beginnings of the country. But it really is strange since this place is such a melting pot (or salad bowl for the Gen-Y crowd) that this sex/nudity thing persists.
I am convinced, by the types of letters I read on The Smoking Gun (letters sent to the FCC in protest of CBS) that women are completely ashamed of their bodies to the point that they can’t even see the bodies of other women, maybe even their own. I know that I am ashamed of some of the attributes of my body, I wish it were smaller, for example, but not of the fact that I am a woman. I think there is a difference between the two.
Is this why there is such a high number of Breast Cancer victims? Are women so afraid of their sexuality that they can’t bear to touch their breasts to check for cancer because someone might think they are, what, getting off on it? We are going to have another generation of women that will go back in time to the Victorian age if we let it happen.
The other side of the problem is men. This goes for men in countries that cover up their women as well as women here. Men who can’t control themselves have a need to control the objects of their desire instead of themselves. If a woman appears sexy to a man, well, you better cover her up, because there’s no telling what might happen. It’s going on right here in our country too. Women whose nipples poke through their blouses are tittered at behind their backs, and told to return to their offices to get a sweater. My husband has told me of it happening in places where he worked in the past. I have a co-worker who wears padded bras so her nipples won’t show if she gets cold.
Why is this? Everyone has them, we all know what they look like, what happens when we are cold. Why do they have to be hidden behind bras with “maximum nipple coverage” as described in the latest Victoria’s Secret catalog? There is no reason why a woman who wears a size DD bra should also have to have it padded so some passer-by won’t be offended.
You got a problem with it? Excercise your right to look away, don’t keep staring and then complain about what you are looking at.
Some other thoughts on my mind today:
You can’t legistate morality.
You do have a right to free speech, but not a right to not be offended by someone else’s speech.
Rants for another day, eh?