‘Descendants' star Dove Cameron defends posting braless selfies that showed her nipples: 'Don't hide your natural body'
23-year-old ‘Descendants’ star Dove Cameron received both backlash and appreciation after she posted two selfies of herself without a bra.
The former Disney star took to her Instagram on Wednesday, August 14, to post a picture wearing a white tank top without a bra, as her way of spreading the message of “feminism and “women empowerment”.
Her mirror selfie received a lot of attention as it managed to get a huge number of likes.
It also ignited a serious debate in the comments section with fans remaining divided over her actions.
Cameron captioned her photo with quotes from author Trista Hendren.
“Our girls deserve better. The time to introduce feminism and woman-centered spirituality to ALL children is now.”
Her second selfie included a quote about the “feminine principle” from the author Elizabeth Eiler.
The fans who expressed concerns over her picture were mostly fans who felt that it was inappropriate content for her young fans.
A fan commented, “Listen...I’m all for women empowerment- but my 8-year-old daughter absolutely loves you and would love to follow you BUT with posts like this I’m not OK with that. She doesn’t need to see that kind of empowering at this age and I’m sure MY daughter isn’t the only one. Just saying”.
Echoing similar thoughts another fan wrote, “It's one thing to teach girls how to love their bodies, but posting a pic without a bra is not the way to do it. Young girls do not need to post a pic a without a bra to love their bodies. No hate here, just saying.”
However, Dove defended herself by replying to a comment with, “Take ur f--king bra off if you want."
"Don't hide your natural body. People are weird. Just because it's the 'the norm' now to be ashamed of nipples or your period doesn't mean they are actually bad or embarrassing??? Women's bodies are the literal coolest. Anyone who tells you to hide it slut-shames you or puts you down because of your gender can f--k RIGHT off. And I would say we should sit and explain it to them, but really, who has the time? Enjoy your life and empower others."
Several young girls and fans came forward in support of Dove’s posts.
A fan wrote, “I saw this and went “woah! She’s not wearing a bra!” And then I felt ashamed that it shocked me. Society has taught me that something as simple as not wearing a bra is scandalous and shameful but it’s not. It’s natural and beautiful. Thank you Dove for helping me see that!”
Another fan expressed, “People are so concerned about kids seeing this. I’m legit 13 and I can’t stress how pressuring it is to me to hear about the crap I should wear. I don’t think its appropriate to teach kids teens and adults to cover themselves up in uncomfortable garments to please others. We as women are born with Nipples and I used to think it was bad. Dove is an amazing role model to teach kids that they can be who they want. Nobody talks about a cows utters because it’s normal. Nobody shames men about wearing pants that show a bump. So why do we do it to women”.