For those who fear the female nipple, don't worry. They're remaining securely covered. With more nipples.
Last year, artist Micol Hebron created a male nipple "template" to sardonically comment on how women's nipples were unnecessarily sexualized. The template was meant to cover any topless photos of women and make them "appropriate" -- because according to many photo-sharing platforms, not all nipples are created equal or considered nudity.
The template was pretty easy to use — just upload your topless photo, and use the handy male nip to cover any offending areola.
Lately, we've seen not only a surge in the #FreeTheNipple campaign, but also a considerable amount of backlash against Instagram's policy stance on female nudity in photos. The company's community guidelines are complicated; “female nipples” aren’t allowed, unless they're being used to breastfeed or a photo shows post-mastectomy scarring, which is where things get murky for users.
You may recall the great Chrissy Teigen Nipple Debate of 2015, when the model joined the outcry and repeatedly posted topless photos of herself, only to have them taken down again by Instagram. "The nipple has been temporarily silenced but she will be back, oh yes, she will be back," she tweeted after her topless shot from W Magazine was removed multiple times.
Thanks to a viral resurgence of Hebron's template, women are choosing to beat Instagram at its own game: by Photoshopping male nipples over their breasts to make them "acceptable" on social media.
This one was reported again. So here it is with two MALE NIPPLES stickers that I put on to cover my illegal FEMALE NIPPLES! So now you can't say shit, this is so fucking wrong and this is not equality. #malenipples #freethenipple #freethenipplecampaign #freethenipple2015 #female #femalenipples #my #body #natural #fucksexism #sexism #feminist #feminism #bw #covered #with #nipplestickers #tydligen #buzzfeed ! A photo posted by ♀a l i n e n i l s s o n♀ (@alinenilsson) on Jul 5, 2015 at 5:46am PDT
You may not be able to tell the difference between a male and female nipple, but Instagram and Facebook apparently can. Only genuine male nips allowed in these parts, ladies.
@freethenipple #Freethenipple #Equality #JuggaloLove #Tattooed #MaleNipple #Aviano #Fitness #LoveLife #Freedom #IndependenceDay #Veterans A photo posted by SGT Nip(ple) © (@nipple313) on Jul 5, 2015 at 1:37pm PDT
I dag har vi kjøpt oss nytt basseng, et såkalt Fill 'n fun pool. Min søster nekta å flytte seg da jeg ville ta bilde av det for å legge ut på sosiale medier. Heldigvis fant jeg en #malenippletemplate så jeg fortsatt kunne legge ut bildet. #basseng #dagensinnkjøp #funinpool #splashandplay #malenipples #freethenipple #notfemalenipples A photo posted by Siri (@siribifaller) on Jul 3, 2015 at 9:18am PDT
While Instagram's policy has remained firm despite all the criticism, at least we'll... have a steady stream of male nipple art to look at?