The women of Medhurst Hall celebrate nipples, unashamed and free.
- Wits’ Medhurst Hall challenged societal norms by going braless for a week during Women’s Month.
- Their “Stick It To The Stigma” campaign encouraged women to feel proud of their nipples being seen.
- Decades of conditioning forged deep insecurities, but this movement guided women towards self-love and acceptance.
Some women can remember the day vividly. Not the first time they wore a bra – that may be lost to the blur of childhood – but the day it truly became a thing. The gentle wire that eventually dug into flesh, the adjustable straps that always slipped, the sheer relief of unhooking it at the end of a long day, feeling their ribs expand, their shoulders drop. For many women, this is an intimate familiarity with a garment that dictates, rather than conforms.
Yet, for one week in August, students at Medhurst Hall, a Wits all-female residence, spent time loosening the tight knot of insecurity by freeing their nipples in honour of Women’s Month.
Their ‘Stick It To The Stigma’ campaign embraced the notion that women’s breasts are not deficiencies to be concealed or corrected, but rather celebrated.
As Kgothatso Kgowa, Academic Officer of the Medhurst Hall House Committee, puts it: “The idea that women must wear bras every day is a social norm, not a necessity. It’s rooted in patriarchy, media influence, and myths about health, leading even women to shame others for going braless.”
This sentiment echoes what has simmered for decades, from the “bra burners” of the past to the contemporary “free the nipple” movement.
“Boobs come in all shapes, sizes and personalities and that is exactly what makes them amazing,” mused Tokollo Matsaung, a resident of Medhurst Hall.
Her words tackle years of ingrained self-consciousness, “For so long,” she continues, “older generations quietly passed down shame and silence around our bodies, like we had to hide or fix what was never broken. But the truth is, your boobs aren’t wrong, society’s narrow lens is. Let them exist proudly.”
For Disebo Mokoena, another resident, this movement holds personal significance. “I started wearing a bra when I was young,” she recounts. “The minute my mom saw that I have breasts, she started to buy me bras.”
This early training, a common experience for many women, established a rigid framework. “You grow up with that mentality that I have to wear a bra because what are people going to say if I don’t?”
And the cycle of judgment often continues: “When we see girls not wearing a bra, we judge them because it was instilled when we were young that a woman should not go out with her nipples showing.” However, Mokoena now perceives a new trajectory. “I feel like this whole movement teaches us to love and appreciate our bodies the way they are.”
Through Instagram, Medhurst Hall reminds girls that: “You are powerful. You are enough. And you absolutely rock.” A joyful proclamation to “Stick It To The Stigma!” and, to allow their bodies to breathe free.
FEATURED IMAGE: From left to right: Medhurst residents Owam Madontsela, Lebogang Masemola, Kgothatso Kgowa posing with their nipples free. Photo: Supplied/Medhurst Hall
RELATED ARTICLES:
- Wits Vuvuzela, Johannesburg Junior Council starts Women’s Month off strong!, Aug, 2025.
- Wits Vuvuzela, Celebrating SA women Olympians this Women’s Month, Aug, 2024.
- Wits Vuvuzela, Another women’s month, another mural , Aug, 2023.
