女性有沒有解放上半身的權利?大綱

The weather is starting to heat up again, and it’s becoming ever more tempting to peel off a few layers of clothing to cool down. But where you are, and what gender you belong to, may determine just how much you can strip down.

天氣逐漸升溫，人們越來越難抗拒脫掉幾件衣服涼快涼快的誘惑。不過，你在哪裏和你的性別或許決定了你能脫到什麼程度。

In the United States, some cities and states allow both men and women to go bare-chested–no shirts, tank tops or bras required. But the laws vary wildly. New York State may allow women to walk around topless, but cross into neighboring Massachusetts, and the same action becomes an obscenity.

在美國，一些城市和州允許男性和女性“赤膊上陣”——可以不穿短袖上衣、背心或胸衣。不過，不同地方的法律卻也大相徑庭。紐約州允許女性裸露上身外出，而到了相鄰的馬薩諸塞州，同樣的行爲就變成了淫穢色情。

A movement has been launched in response to these laws, calling itself the “Free the Nipple” campaign. Its latest battleground is New Hampshire, where state legislators have been debating whether to change the state’s laws toward bare-chested women.

近期針對這些法律開展了一項叫做“解放上半身”的運動。新罕布什爾州是這項運動的最新“戰場”，該州立法者正在討論是否針對赤裸上半身的女性而修改法律。

It all started in September 2015, when members of a local “Free the Nipple” group decided to forgo their tops on a public beach in Gilford, New Hampshire. They were arrested, and the incident inspired state Republicans to introduce a series of bills, aimed at making exposed female breasts illegal.

一切始於2015年9月，新罕布什爾州當地“解放上半身”組織的成員決定在吉爾福德鎮的公共海灘上脫掉上衣，隨後遭到逮捕。由此，該州共和黨成員提議了一系列新議案，意圖將女性赤裸上半身列入違法行爲。

The controversy received national attention when one of the lawmakers commented on Facebook that a man should have the right to “stare and grab” at a woman’s nipples, if she is allowed to leave them exposed. “After all... It’s ALL relative and natural, right?” he wrote.

一名立法者在臉書上就此事發表的評論引發了爭議，引發了全國關注。他認爲在女性自願赤裸上身的情況下，男性應擁有“盯着看或者觸摸”女性上體的權利。“總之……這都是自然而然的，不是嗎？”他這樣寫道。

Just last week, on May 11, New Hampshire debated the latest attempt to rein in exposed boobs, by having each city decide what people could wear on its public property. The bill is unlikely to pass, but the drama in New Hampshire has reignited the nationwide debate over upper-body nudity.

就在上週，5月11日，新罕布什爾州就管制裸露上身的措施而開展了辯論，最新提案試圖讓各城市自己決定居民應該在公共場所穿什麼樣的衣服。雖然這項議案很難通過，但新罕布什爾州上演的戲劇性事件已再次引發全國針對上半身裸體的爭論。

Ironically, both sides claim they’re protecting women from being sexualized. For proponents of keeping women covered up, the breast is first and foremost a sexual organ. Showing it off is simply too provocative, they argue, and young children should not be exposed to such naked sexuality.

諷刺的是，持不同意見的雙方均聲稱他們是爲了讓女性免受性別歧視。支持者認爲女人應穿着得體，因爲胸部是最主要的性器官。暴露胸部簡直太過挑逗，而且青少年和兒童不應該看到這麼赤裸裸的性特徵。

The counterarguments, naturally, say the exact opposite. Breasts are no more sexual than earlobes or lips: Just because they can be used during sex doesn’t mean they are sexual organs, per se. Free the Nipple advocates also argue that women can be as attracted to shirtless men as men can be to shirtless women. The only difference is, the law reflects a male perspective, not a female’s.

而顯然，反對者們則持完全相反的意見。胸部並不比耳垂、嘴脣更具有性暗示：僅僅因爲在性行爲中胸部能起到作用，並不意味着它本質上就是性器官。“解放上半身”的擁護者還提出，女人能被赤膊的男人吸引，男人同樣也可以被赤膊的女人吸引。兩者之間唯一的區別就是，法律反映的是男性的需求，而非女性。

Free the Nipple is a cause championed by celebrities like singer Miley Cyrus, model Chrissy Teigan and pop star Rihanna. But how to protest this issue has become a problem all on its own. Some advocates believe the best route is to “normalize” female breasts, by wearing them uncovered as much as possible, as casually as possible.

“解放上半身”運動受到了歌手麥莉•賽勒斯、模特克莉茜•泰根、歌星蕾哈娜等名人的擁護。然而如何對此進行抗議示威本身又是一個問題。一些支持者認爲最好的方法就是隨意、經常、儘可能多地赤裸上身，將女性胸部“平常化”。

But activist groups like Femen have made exposed boobs a gimmick to gain press attention. Topless protesters have demonstrated against rape, homophobia and even Republican presidential contender Donald Trump.

不過，一些激進組織如費曼組織就把赤裸的胸部當成了吸引媒體的花招。裸露上身的抗議者針對強姦、仇視同性戀，甚至共和黨總統競選人唐納德•特朗普進行了諸多遊行示威。