(Image source from: Miley Cyrus champions for Free the Nipples})

If you are wondering why Miley Cyrus bared her chest in Twitter recently, know that it was not a gimmick or a random act of nudity, but an act of support.

Apparently Miley pulled up her shirt and laid bare her breasts for public view in a holiday-inspired tweet pic to support an upcoming documentary titled 'Free the Nipple', a film that tackles censorship of topless women in New York.

It is a film about how topless women are arrested in NYC for being "obscene" even though it is legal for them to unleash their titties. While it is illegal for women to go around topless in public in 37 U.S. States, it's legal in New York City. But that hasn't stopped police from arresting topless women, according to the film's FundAnything page.

Despite Cyrus' open support of the doc and cause, "Free the Nipple" is struggling to receive a wide release in American theaters, especially due to its NC-17 rating garnered from the MPAA, The Daily Dot reports. Director Lina Esco is attempting less traditional routes to get the film seen, currently using crowdfunding to get the film seen.

As Cyrus pointed out on Twitter, her support of the film isn't just another excuse to get naked -- "it's about equality," she tweeted.

AW: Suchorita Dutta Choudhury