LRFS abandon ‘free the nipple’ campaign

The posters were deemed ‘inappropriate’ by the RAG committee


Leeds RAG Fashion Show organisers were advised to make a U-turn on their “free the nipple” promotional campaign after it was deemed inappropriate by the RAG committee.

The posters of naked female and male torsos were supposed to be placed around campus with the aim of reducing the stigma and sexualisation attached to nipples.

The organising committee for the fashion show is separate from that of RAG, but RAG ultimately had the final say in abandoning the campaign.

Free nipples at last year’s show

RAG President Gavin Kelleher told The Tab: “The decision was made not to run the poster campaign with nude male and female torsos for several reasons, including not knowing who the people pictured in the images were and whether they had given their permission to nude photos being used online.

“Additionally there were concerns that using a political campaign as a marketing tool was inappropriate in a student union with such a diverse range of people and beliefs.

“As a society we consulted LUU for their advice of how we should approach the LRFS committee with our decision,  but ultimately the Union had nothing to do with our final decision. The exec were helpful in offering us assistance with running feminist campaigns in the future should we decide to do so. ”

Leeds RAG Fashion Show is taking place on Thursday and will be raising money for Leeds MENCAP and the Refugee Council – tickets can be bought online here  or from stalls running all week in the Union foyer.

Whether there will be nipples or not is not yet known.