Agreed that women's bodies are beautiful and have for a long time been a muse for men and women alike. However, is beauty in the same category as obscenity? I should rather ask why. Women wearing short or 'revealing' clothes are stared at, groped, touched, stripped publicly and raped because of the widely understood notion among our people that 'she was asking for it'.

Is a mother who needs to feed her baby also then 'asking for it'? What is this thing a woman seems to be asking for that the men oblige? It isn't sex. A woman doesn't want random people lusting over her for sure. I can say that assuredly as a woman. A voyeur might, however she isn't 'asking for it' either.

Why do people stare if a woman breastfeeds in a public space? Weren't you fed too when you were born, dear starers? (Unless you're one of those born with lactose intolerance and never had maa ka doodh). Imagine someone lusting over your mother while you suckled at her breast as a baby. Unpleasant?

Free The Nipple

However far removed this conversation remains from India, a campaign called Free The Nipple has been gaining ground in the US. It isn't just about topless women, although that has been instrumental in bringing attention to the topic.