FREE THE NIPPLE EXPLAINS HOW TO ORGANIZE A MOVEMENT
Photos in the 1920s show that both men and women covered their upper bodies at the beach. Sometime afterward, men showed their pectorals, but women were told that equality in that regard was obscene. Free the Nipple begins by noting that the legality of the public baring of breasts was upheld by the New York Supreme Court in 1992. Yet for two decades, filmviewers must assume, few women have asserted that right. The film then explains how protesters, particularly photographer Holly Van Voast (played by the director, Lina Esco, under the stagename With), seek to establish that right –and how their movement goes global during 2013. A test case, involving an arrest, is tried, but success comes only when posters are plastered all over New York City, women strip off their blouses all over the city, social media blog that development worldwide, and press coverage follows. Although Free the Nipple is about human rights, the most important contribution is actually in promoting democracy—the idea that people can make changes by political mobilization. Accordingly, the Political Film has nominated Free the Nipple in both categories. MH