Free the Nipple crosses the pond; British march topless

BRIGHTON, East Sussex — A second topless march along the seafront is being planned for later this year after the Free The Nipple event was deemed a success.

Two hundred women and men disrobed at the Palace Pier in the Sunday sunshine and promenaded in the cause of desexualizing the female body.

Kemptown therapist Seanna Rock, 41, said: “It was lovely, I felt proud and fantastic.

“There wasn’t any negativity or aggression, all we got was a lot of smiles and a lot of support and cheering."

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The event was organized by comedian Samantha Pressdee, who came to Brighton with a one-woman comedy show about nudity and sexuality — which she performs topless — in advance of a run at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The march headed off from the entrance to the Pier at 2 p.m. Sunday, with walkers chanting “sun’s out, tops off” walked along King’s Road for several hundred yards before walking down to the beach. The group circled around before sunbathing topless on the Kemp Town side of the pier.

Those who marched on Sunday are already planning to organize a follow-up to the event to coincide with International Go Topless Day on Aug. 28.

Pressdee explained: “I’m a member of the Free The Nipple campaign, and I talk about it in my show, which is not just comedy, it’s creative activism and I ask, ‘Are boobs sex organs?' Well, actually, no they’re not.”

“I’m not saying women should be topless all the time, but if she chooses to then anywhere a man is OK being topless, a woman should feel comfortable being topless too."

Pressdee said the march was a success, but "there was one man that we walked past and he said to his son, ‘Cover your eyes,’ but everyone else was very positive.

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“And nudity shouldn’t be shameful, especially boobs because they’re not a sex organ. There’s nothing wrong with kids seeing nudity if it’s not in a sexual context.

“I would ask, what does it teach young boys and girls, what damage does it do, to see all these men topless on the beach and not women? Does it teach them women are worth less?”

The 33-year-old, from Walsall in the West Midlands, got involved with the international Free The Nipple campaign, which started in the USA, around the time of the No To Page Three campaign.

“Boobs have been sexualized and the point of that campaign like this one is that they don’t have to be sexual."

Follow Joel Adams on Twitter: Argus_JoelA