Topless protesters have turned heads in the northern New South Wales town of Byron Bay as part of the global Free the Nipple movement.

The movement, which was inspired by a movie of the same name in 2012, has spawned topless rallies across the world with the aim of de-sexualising women's breasts and promoting gender equality.

Byron Bay rally organiser Eva Judell said she regularly bared her breasts at the beach, but was sick of being made to feel uncomfortable by some passers-by.

"We're demonstrating the double standards that exist within our genders and fighting against the sexual objectification of women," she said.

"I've been harassed and shamed for being topless on the beach, and that was enough to get me interested in how this is part of a larger narrative that contributes to rape culture and violence against women and oppression."

Free the Nipple organisers say they want to promote equality and empowerment. ( ABC North Coast: Samantha Turnbull )

Ms Judell was joined by about 50 topless protesters, including men and women, who marched along Byron Bay's Belongil beach.

They were met with applause by many, however Ms Judell was criticised in the lead-up.

Comments on the ABC North Coast Facebook page included:

"Put all this energy you're putting into this stupid argument and help fight for a charity that empowers people, not walking around topless, grow up!" — Pip Carolan "If you like drawing attention to yourself, feel free, just don't criticise people for looking," — Ben Grayson "I think the best way to get our equality and power back is with our brains not our bodies," — Julia Chapple

Ms Judell said most criticism stemmed from people who considered breasts as primarily sexual objects.

"People need to grow up and remove themselves from toxic cultural conditionings," she said.

"Breasts are primarily maternal, that's their first purpose. I'm not saying they can't be sexual, our whole body can be sexual, but breasts are primarily maternal and we should work towards normalising them for the safety of women."

The issue of nude beach-going is of particular interest to the Byron Shire community where police have been cracking down on public nudity following reports of women being harassed near clothes-optional stretches of beach.

Police have charged at least two men in the past year with sexual assault in the vicinity of the clothes-optional area north of the Byron Bay town centre, and the local council has installed warning signs at beach entrances as a result.

Byron Shire resident Premala Devi says she is often asked to cover her breasts at the beach. ( ABC North Coast: Samantha Turnbull )

Resident Premala Devi said she was surprised to see the 'regression' of attitudes towards nudity since the more liberal 1970s.

"In 1964 I went to the beach and I couldn't stand a bra on me anymore, it was restricting me and choking me, so I took it off, spun it in the air and threw it in the water," she said.

"I said 'I'm never going to wear one of those again'.

"Sometimes the lifesavers try to get me to put my bra on, and they succeed for about five minutes, until I chase them away and they leave me alone."