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Scout Willis, daughter of Bruce Willis, made headlines for walking around NYC topless last week. Willis launched this protest of her unceremonious dismissal from Instagram, specifically, after posting a shirt featuring bare breasts, and, more broadly, the whole female-body-shaming thing. She declared the issue "so much bigger than Instagram now" after going on a full Twitter offensive. Now she took to xoJane to offer some full, thoughtful context to the brouhaha. The letter is titled, "I Am Scout Willis and This Is the Only Thing I Have to Say About Walking Topless Down the Streets of New York Last Week." In it, she notes:
I understand that people don't want to take me seriously. Or would rather just write me off as an attention-seeking, over-privileged, ignorant, white girl. I am white and I was born to a high profile and financially privileged family. I didn't choose my public life, but it did give me this platform. A platform that helps make body politics newsworthy.
I am certainly not doing anything novel. A group here in New York called Topless Pulp gathers in parks to read topless regularly, and the Free The Nipple campaign has been protesting for the same rights for the last four years. If my coming from a high-profile family could help spread their message, so be it. I am not ashamed of who I am. And for every nasty comment I received there were ten more of support, appreciation, and empowerment.
She calls for attention to be directed at the #FreeTheNipples cause rather than her celebrity and notes she'll be retiring her breasts under a (sheer) top. Read more here.
· I Am Scout Willis and This Is the Only Thing I Have to Say About Walking Topless Down the Streets of New York Last Week [xoJane]
· Bruce Willis' Daughter Protests Instagram with Topless Flower Shopping [Racked]
· Jane Pratt's Beauty Secrets: Blow Outs, Homeopathic Drops [Racked]
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