Scout Willis continues to champion the Free the Nipple movement and published an essay explaining why she decided to walk topless throughout New York City.

Willis, daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, created quite a stir when, fed up with Instagram’s policy on nudity and how they enforce their community guidelines, she posted photos of herself walking in New York topless on Twitter.

Willis quickly became an icon of the Free the Nipple movement, which works to decriminalize the female body, particularly nipples, which are seen as taboo – breastfeeding in public, see-through dresses, etc.

After her Twitter rant against Instagram and her topless photos placed a spotlight on the issue, Willis decided to write an official statement on her reasoning and stance on Free the Nipple.

Willis claims that Instagram deleted her account after she posted a photo of herself in a sheer top and a photo of a jacket that was printed with a topless photo of two unknown women. When she embarked on a Twitter campaign against Instagram, she received input from other women who had also been kicked off Instagram for photos of breastfeeding or posts about breast cancer, and Willis was soon fighting a much larger battle.

Scout Willis Writes Personal Essay

While Willis says she is happy to be an instigator for conversation on the rights of women, she is not seeking fame, despite her celebrity parentage.

“What began as a challenge to Instagram and its prejudiced community guidelines became an opportunity for dialogue. Matters like the taboo of the nipple in the 21st century, public breastfeeding, slut shaming, fat shaming, breast cancer awareness, body positivity, gender inequality, and censorship have found their way into mainstream discussion. But unfortunately the emphasis in the press has been on sensationalizing my breasts, chiefly in terms of my family,” Willis wrote.

Willis acknowledged that she does not represent the feminist movement, nor does she consider herself a particularly revolutionary activist, writing, “women are regularly kicked off Instagram for posting photos with any portion of the areola exposed, while photos sans nipple – degrading as they might be – remain unchallenged.”

Scout Willis Fights To Free The Nipple

She also defended the logic of fighting for a woman’s right to expose her nipples as a fight for equality, writing that men fought the same fight in the 1930s, and topless men in public has become the norm.

“I am not trying to argue for mandatory toplessness, or even bralessness. What I am arguing for is a woman’s right to choose how she represents her body – and to make that choice based on personal desire and not a fear of how people will react to her or how society will judge her. No woman should be made to feel ashamed of her body,” Willis continued.

Willis also pointed out the inherent patriarchy in how the Instagram guidelines are enforced, noting that if she posts a photo of herself wearing a sheer top, her account is deleted, yet a man can post photos of himself surrounded by topless women, clearly sexualizing them, barely cover her nipples, and he is considered The Most Interesting Man On Instagram.

Instagram Guidelines On Nudity

Instagram’s guidelines regarding nudity are as follows: “You may not post violent, nude, partially nude… pornographic or sexually suggestive photos.”

Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom insisted that the Instagram rules were equally enforced to ensure Instagram remain “a safe space.”

Instagram, however, is being flooded with photos from women inspired by Willis, hoping to combat the discriminatory enforcement of guidelines and promote Free the Nipple. Women are posting photos alluding to nipples online, exploiting loopholes in the guidelines to make their point.

More on Scout Willis and Free the Nipple:

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