Women around the world go topless for 'free the nipple'

24.08.2015 22:00

Bare-chested protesters took to the streets of 60 cities around the world on Sunday as part of a campaign to 'free the nipple'.

One of the biggest events for GoTopless Day was a semi-naked parade through New York City - where officials are debating whether topless tip-seekers should be allowed in Times Square.

Rachel Jessee, an actress and model who leads the GoTopless group in NYC, explained that Sunday's topless campaigners want women to have the same right as men to go topless in public.

'Our goal is for equal gender topless rights to be enforced worldwide, freeing women's nipples,' she said.

Police in mid-Manhattan blocked off several streets to traffic so around 300 topless protesters could parade through the city.

Appearing bare-breasted has been legal in New York since 1992. But Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton are now trying to get semi-nude, painted women banned from the city's Times Square.

The women - like many costumed characters in the square - pose with tourists to get tips. But De Blasio, Bratton and others believe they are a nuisance.

Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, said the practice harkened to the pornographic 'bad old Times Square' of the past.

Sunday's parade in New York was just one of many events to take place in 60 cities around the world for GoTopless Day.

In Washington DC, one woman stood in front of the White House while posing like the Statue of Liberty.

In Edinburgh, Scotland, around 50 people - mostly women - took off their tops the the city's main street - the Royal Mile.

They staged a sit-in for two hours - much to the bemusement of passing tourists and shoppers.

At Hampton Beach in New Hampshire, bare-chested women and men took part in a photocall to show their support for the worldwide movement.

GoTopless had been urging both men and women to 'stand up with topless pride' on August 23 to honor the 95th anniversary of Women's Equality Day and to support the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Spokeswoman Rachel Jessee said: 'Centuries of gender inequality and exclusive male rule created major planetary imbalances that could prove fatal to society. It’s time for change!

'It’s liberating and empowering for women to free their bodies from repression. Freeing nipples and bodies frees minds as well, restoring self-image and self-esteem.'

(dailymail.co.uk)

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