This week, the Supreme Court declined to hear the so-called “Free the Nipple” case, which seeks to end bans on female toplessness. Surprisingly, it is actually women driving this case. They want to end the sexual objectification of women by, ironically, sexually objectifying themselves by going topless and encouraging others to do the same. It’s a twisted logic but one that is unsurprising in our sexually confused culture.

It is a fact that there are biological differences between men and women, especially when it comes to what is perceived as nudity. We see this displayed in movies and television series across the country. While female nudity, usually the displaying of breasts or much more, is rather commonplace for a movie or television series with an R- or TV-MA rating. It is much rarer for studios to request men to bare it all. Even if they do, it is often done for comedic effect or shock value. Women generally are “three times more likely to appear partially or fully nude in movies.”

Emilia Clarke, star of HBO’s hit drama Game of Thrones, admitted in an interview that she “wanted to be known for my acting, not my breasts,” after becoming frustrated with being pressured to go topless on screen.

That’s what makes this “Free the Nipple” movement so concerning for women everywhere. They want to encourage the idea that men and women are “equal” biologically, which we are not when it comes to nudity and how it is perceived.

An AOL video about a topless event in Denver demonstrates this perfectly. While the women were there to champion their cause, there were two older men who showed up early to, in their words, get a “ringside seat.” They basically admitted that they were essentially there to objectify the women who were putting themselves on display to try and normalize toplessness and avoid objectification. 

That brief video identifies the problem with the “Free the Nipple” movement. It is completely illogical. Men and women, at least when it comes to toplessness, view the situation differently. Men view female breasts as something sexual, and women just don’t. 

This goes all the way back to the garden. Although I have no evidence for this, I would bet that Eve’s figure is probably one of, if not the first thing, Adam noticed about her. 

Let’s be honest, men are visual creatures by design. There isn’t anything wrong with that, but  as women we should think more carefully about what we wear and how we dress in the presence of men. Yes, women might be able to appreciate the fashionableness of a dress that is rather low cut, but men, even if it is for a moment, don’t consider the fashion as much as the eye-catching display.

A writer for Psychology Today explained it this way, “To begin with, it’s essential to note that the literature specifically studying men’s arousal patterns (gay as well as straight) has repeatedly emphasized their sensitivity to visual cues. As soon as the lust-inspiring image registers in their brain, they become turned-on—not only physically but psychologically, too. … And as Ogi Ogas and Sai Goddam suggest, ‘Men’s greater sex drive may be partially due to the fact that their sexual motivation pathways have more connections to the subcortical reward system than in women. [Or, in short] ‘men’s brains are designed to objectify women.’” 

That basis alone should demonstrate that any push to normalize toplessness and end sexual objectification is doomed to failure. It’s literally written into a man’s DNA, which is both a good thing, in the context of marriage, and bad thing, when it comes to addictions like pornography.

Thankfully, at this point, the “Free the Nipple” movement is dead in the water legally speaking, and that is a good thing. Women who want to join this movement support the male objectification of all women. That’s not progress or equality but encourages some of the worst male behavior.