Finding my Fighting Voice for Gender Equality Through Nipple Stickers
I have found my voice fighting for gender equality, via a kind-of-funny but very-serious action: nipple stickers! I began the Exposure Therapy project in 2017 to fight for gender equality and oppose censorship of the non cis-male body by creating and spreading simple and accessible methods of resistance.
My goal for the Exposure Therapy project is to change the way society regards the non cis-male body by exposing the hypocrisy of its censorship. Oppression of women takes many forms, one of which is the notion that our bodies alone are pornographic. Fear, stigma, society, danger, and misinformation work together to create a narrative that our bodies are sex itself—provocative, offensive, obscene, and disorderly.
This, in turn, generates a world which is in fact dangerous for us who happen to possess a non cis-male body. The Exposure Therapy nipple sticker represents real women from around the world who have “contributed” their nipple to the cause. Stickers are sent for free to anyone who asks for them, regardless of location or situation-- so far reaching over 28 countries!
I started this project as a way to vent my own frustration, and I have been humbled and thrilled to see it become a way for others to do the same. Exposure Therapy continues to grow thanks to awesome feminists and supporters, and I am truly grateful to feel part of a community of fighters, each of whom have made me a stronger advocate and a stronger woman.
In this difficult time, when we are all forced to activate indoors and thus rely on Instagram for most forms of message-spreading, I was very happy to be interviewed by Foto Femme United. Being a full-time artist and activist has highs a lows, and this was definitely a little high point for me.
