Can a woman enjoy porn, make-up, compete in Miss World, and still claim to be a feminist?
This is the kind of question that regularly come up in a discussion about feminist beliefs and actions.
People often confuse feminism, beauty and nudity as being mutually exclusive.
It's a subject American singer-songwriter Halsey is now speaking up about after receiving criticism following her debut appearance on Playboy.
Yesterday afternoon, the 'Bad at Love' singer posted a photograph of her recent Playboy cover to Instagram and received a barrage of abuse from followers who appeared confused how she could claim to be a women's rights advocate yet pose semi-nude in a magazine which has long been known to promote the titillation of men.
'You are a feminist but you flash your boobs in Playboy magazine,' one user wrote on the picture.
In response, Halsey replied:
'Yeah it's crazy. I can show my tits in Playboy, perform at the Nobel Peace, speak at the Planned Parenthood Gala with Hillary Clinton, shake my ass on 300 stages, give a speech at the United Nations, do 150 shots of tequila, get a #1 album, and march in the streets of DC all in just ONE year!'
'Newsflash. A woman can be multi dimensional #WeAreNotJustOneThing,' she concluded.
She shared the exchange of comments with her fans on social media following her post, captioning the conversation: 'Just so we are f***ing clear'
The feminist-nude debate is a subject actress Emma Watson recently felt compelled to addressed following claims she was 'hypocritical' for posing in a cut-out crochet open top in Vanity Fair's March issue.
'Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women. It's about freedom, it's about liberation, it's about equality,' Watson said on BBC News.
'I really don't know what my tits have to do with it. It's very confusing... I'm always just kind of quietly stunned. They were saying that I couldn't be a feminist and have boobs,' she added.
Let's get one thing clear, feminism can be expressed in numerous ways and nudity has long been a form of protesting for women's rights; #FreeTheNipple campaign, naked flash mobs in Argentina to demonstrate against sexism and gender-based violence and the Femen activists who are known to protest topless for gay rights have all used nudity as a way of promoting women's equality.
The last thing we should be doing is excluding women who want or don't want to show off their bodies. After all, isn't the freedom and respect of choice what we're fighting for?
As artist Whitney Bell, who earlier this year explained her decision for posing nude in Playboy, revealed: 'Nudity can be empowering to some and demeaning to others. A lot of that, I believe, has to do with self-perception and the puritanical society we still live in.
'As long as there is consent and the subject feels empowered in their choice then I stand by them,' she added.
Similar to Meghan Markle, who wrote a piece for ELLE UK on her biracial identity in 2015 for ELLE UK, Halsey also used her Playboy appearance to open up about her struggle with society coming to terms with her race.
She said:
I look white, but I still have white boys in my life asking me why my nipples are brown.
I look like a white girl, but I don't feel like one. I'm a black woman. So it's been weird navigating that. When I was growing up, I didn't know if I was supposed to love TLC or Britney.
Hours after clapping back at Instagram haters criticising her decision to appear in Playboy, the 22-year-old took a stand on the social media platform against Russia and its policies on gay rights.
Performing in the country this week, the openly bisexual singer posted several comments on Instagram saying: 'I'm out in Moscow and feelin unlucky. Scared the police gonna keep me in custody.
'And all these kids love me, but Russia don't **** with me. Cause I wrote some songs about women who **** with me.
'I got a rainbow 10 feet up above me. And this is what I meant when I said that they shush me. But no-one can judge me. Expect no less of me.
'In all of these faces, there's greatness among me,' she added.
If Halsey wasn't on your radar before, she should be now.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
