Links to rhetorical tools:

Here are links to the rhetorical tools used in this class:

Schemes & Tropes -- Perelman & Olbrechts-Tyteca -- Fallacies -- Burke -- Rhetorical Toolbox -- Conspiracy Rhetorics

Monday, May 3, 2021

Outline Free the Nipple

 What- campaign enforcing male and female equality, and de-sexualizing the female breast and nipple (Breastfeeding, elimination of rape culture… “asking for it”)


Why- seeks out change in the law and social norm of women being topless.“If men are able to exist in a public space while being topless; devoid of judgement or violation of law, then why can’t women exist while being topless in the same way (without judgement or violation of law)?”


 interchangeable answers because it is not universal for everyone


Goals- obtaining a non-sexual perception of the female nipple by enforcing the normalcy of exposed female breasts/toplessness, promoting public breastfeeding and eliminating rape culture 


I know this from… signs, protest interviews and an academic journal


Many supporters of the FTNM are not just wishing to ‘go around topless’


Goals are shaded by the boldness of members- unforgiving demeanor, not what many people who support the movement agree with


Scales of movement


Idea- calls itself a campaign, protests and social media 


Radicality- not known for violence, arrests, civil disobedience and violation of law to make point- 


Organization- social media presence and websites dictates, not tyranny (no revolutionists leading) celebrities persuade people into being more accepting of the FTNM


Demands- non-sexual perception of the female nipple by enforcing the normalcy of exposed female breasts/toplessness, equality between men and women, promoting public breastfeeding and eliminating rape culture and the fallacy that a woman is “asking for it” depending on her clothing/nudity- but these are unclear because of misinterpretation on supporting and non supporting sides 



Ideographs- ! “Free the Nipple'' itself -just ‘freeing the nipple’ does not reflect the messages and goals that are meant to be sent from the people supporting the movement. 


Gotopless.org uses “free the breast, free the mind” as an ideograph symbolizing its movement, and connection with “free the mind” from claiming to have a spiritual leader of the movement itself…



Values- are used to promote the campaign of FTN, and used frequently in signs, protests and social media as universal truths


based on equality, change of social norms, change of laws, destruction of rape culture and promotion of public breastfeeding


innately pushing participants in the movement to act upon these values, leads them into believing that their actions are justified 


Abstract Values- promoting change and in a way, a revolution, not concrete because it is not using people or an object to build it’s values upon, and it is not  ‘unique’ because the values it uses are claimed by members to already be universal. 


Comparison- compare itself to the seeming normalcy of men being able to exist freely/without consequence in public while being topless. Good job of comparing the realities for men and for women when it comes to toplessness, but— this assertion is mainly a claim born from the movement, holding more power than it would alone because it is connected so deeply with the FTNM. 


Thesis- core values of the FTNM are in some ways used as a method of persuading people to take actions for the movement that they normally would not commit to by themselves… protests, 

Example breastfeeding support- misconception that breasts are not meant for babies, 

signs and protesters claim bodies and boobs aren’t sexual, but they can be if that’s what someone with boobs would like. 

support the implied values and goals of the Free the Nipple movement, but some of the methods and beliefs should be open for dispute rather than condemned to the pre-disclosed opinions that the FTNM was built upon. 











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