• Motto

‘Free the Nipple’ Thinks It’s ‘Absurd’ Kim and Emily Had to Censor Their Breasts

2 minute read

If there’s one person who clapped for the topless selfie Kim Kardashian and Emily Ratajkowski shared on Instagram yesterday, it was Lina Esco, founder of the Free the Nipple movement. “Whenever women take control over their bodies in any format or context, it’s a powerful statement,” Esco told Motto. “It’s so refreshing to finally see Emily and Kim move from exploitation to activism.”

Esco, who also directed the film Free the Nipple, did have one issue with the picture: The black bars. “It’s absurd that it’s 2016 and we still need to censor one of the most natural organs of a woman’s body,” says Esco. “Being topless does not equal nudity. Why is it that you can sell women’s breasts but we can’t wear them?”

Read more: Fort Collins, Colorado, You’re Missing the Point of Topless Women

Esco says Free the Nipple will continue to fight against female censorship (including on Instagram) by turning its efforts to campaigning for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).

“When the ERA passes, I hope the stigma and criminalization of women’s bodies will finally come to an end,” says Esco.

Take that, Piers Morgan.

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Write to Robin Hilmantel at robin.hilmantel@time.com