The push for desexualizing women’s clothing—especially with topfree advocacy—has become a mess, and it’s no one’s fault but the women leading it. If you want the world to change, then do the work. The fact that this issue hasn’t gone anywhere in over a decade is because women aren’t willing to handle the inevitable backlash. Instead, they retreat into complaint mode the second things get tough. If you can’t commit, stop pretending this is a serious cause.

Let’s get real: the advocacy here is weak at best. Topfree equality only seems to come up when it’s convenient, usually as an excuse to defend someone’s outfit choice. That’s not advocacy—it’s deflection. If this were a legitimate movement, we’d see consistent, widespread efforts to normalize it. Instead, it’s sporadic and reactive, and the moment there’s pushback, the issue disappears until the next incident. You can’t cry victim after making a choice you knew would provoke a reaction. If you’re not willing to stand by it, why should anyone else take it seriously?

And let’s stop pretending women don’t know how society will react to revealing clothing. It’s not shocking. It’s not some grand mystery. If you wear something provocative in a world where breasts are sexualized, people will treat it that way. That’s the reality. But instead of owning that choice and using it as a stepping stone for progress, too many women play the victim, as if the consequences were completely unforeseen. If you’re unwilling to take responsibility for predictable outcomes, then stop pretending this is about advocacy. It’s not.

Here’s the thing: real advocacy isn’t comfortable. It’s not about universal applause for your choices or getting a free pass from criticism. It’s about pushing boundaries, enduring resistance, and sticking with it until the world catches up. Women who fought to wear pants didn’t give up because of a few rude comments or social rejection. They faced the backlash and kept going until it became normal. Compare that to today’s topfree advocates, who seem to fold the moment things get hard. If you want change, you have to fight for it. Complaining and retreating won’t cut it.

And whether you like it or not, society operates on a kind of “strict liability” framework when it comes to revealing clothing. If you dress in a way that gets attention, you’re going to get attention—whether you like it or not. That’s the world we live in. If you want to change that, you have to acknowledge it first. Stop pretending to be shocked by the backlash. You knew exactly what you were walking into.

But here’s the bigger problem: women’s advocacy as a whole seems to lack commitment. Men advocate for deeply unpopular ideas all the time—often for ideas that are downright repugnant—and they stick with it, no matter how much ridicule they face. Women, on the other hand, seem to give up the moment they meet resistance. If you’re not willing to endure the consequences of holding an unpopular view, then you’re not advocating. You’re just complaining.

And that’s why this issue highlights everything wrong with modern women’s advocacy. It’s not about real change. It’s about using “movements” as a shield for individual choices without follow-through. If women actually cared about desexualizing their bodies, they’d put in the work, take the hits, and fight to make it normal. Instead, they whine about the backlash, retreat, and ultimately delegitimize not just this issue, but the broader feminist cause.

Until women show they’re serious—until they stop treating advocacy like a part-time hobby—this issue will remain stagnant. And honestly, that’s on them.