In favor of nipples (it still needs to be said)

A few weeks ago I attended the Xona Show, a theatrical performance by Marta Pontnou and Laura Fa in support of powerful women with a sense of humor. And I did it wearing a stunning gold dress. My back was bare, and instead of wearing one of those bras that look like they were designed by NASA to hide them, or sticking adhesive circles on my breasts, I chose to wear nothing. And of course, my nipples were visible, which for many people is terrible, terrible. Absolutely terrible. But there, surrounded by powerful and wonderful women, I was not at all shy about declaring that in my world, unashamed nipples (which is to say, all of them) are welcome. Everyone thought it was perfect, and we started talking about the absurdity of hiding nipples and preventing them from showing under clothing. Some of these women admitted that under their T-shirts and tight bodysuits, they wore adhesive strips that only serve to cover the nipples, and that it made no sense at all. Nipples are part of our body, of our anatomy, and masking them under stickers, stiff fabrics, and other traps just to hide them sends the message that those inches of skin are absolutely undignified.

What is clear is that women's breasts are still frightening. That's why, as the years go by, the Femen collective insists on showing them to protest acts of sexist injustice. And it's no coincidence that when women danced to the song Mother by Rigoberta Bandini, and in a gesture of vindication and freedom we showed our breasts, the faces of certain people were a poem, not to mention the scandal that was organized when the singers Rocío Saiz and Eva Amaral showed their breasts in their concerts in 2023. And although women's nipples have been banned. I'm writing it again and in capital letters because we have normalized it so much that it no longer scandalizes us: ON INSTAGRAM, WOMEN'S MUSSELS ARE PROHIBITED. And we let it be flattered because we feel powerless and don't know how to combat it, but also because we have understood that these centimeters of body have something shameful, sinful and sexualized.

But not all is lost. In recent years, movements such as the #freetheniples or the #braless who suggest going braless if we want to. And although on the beach the topless is clearly experiencing a decline. It's also true that I see more and more young women allowing their nipples to be visible under their clothing without giving it much thought. And here, mature women have a long way to go, because on this issue, we too often allow ourselves to be swayed by convention. We experience our own bodies for what they are: a container of life—my own, free and dignified, with nothing to be ashamed of.