# Tops off! The acceptability of public half-nudity for women **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 28, 2013, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630 "2013-01-28T18:20:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/41 "2013-01-28T21:17:57Z")
_headdesk_ ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/42 "2013-01-28T21:23:38Z")
> [@HoboStew](#): > > They are both natural human activities **that don’t belong in civilized public spaces** , so they have that in common (bolding mine) What “doesn’t belong in civilized public spaces” is very much subjective. You’re comparing a cultural taboo (which is not universal) to a health hazard. That’s a big difference IMO. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/43 "2013-01-28T21:26:44Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > If a group of 14 year old females decided to parade down the street topless, wouldn’t that make the owners of every security camera that showed their display guilty of possession of child pornography? And here we go with the inevitable “slippery nipple” arguments… ---
**Author:** ![lew\_cody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e274bd/32.png) [@lew\_cody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lew_cody)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/44 "2013-01-28T21:57:45Z")
What’s remarkable is that _male_ shirtlessness was also forbidden on many US beaches until the late 1930s. See the July 18, 1938 issue of LIFE, pages 36-37, for a short discussion of the new trend towards men going topless on East Coast beaches (it had already been acceptable for some time on the West Coast and in Europe). ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/45 "2013-01-28T22:44:46Z")
> [@lew\_cody](#): > > What’s remarkable is that _male_ shirtlessness was also forbidden on many US beaches until the late 1930s. See the July 18, 1938 issue of LIFE, pages 36-37, for a short discussion of the new trend towards men going topless on East Coast beaches (it had already been acceptable for some time on the West Coast and in Europe). That’s a good point. All in all I wouldn’t care particularly to see nudes in the grocery store or fast food joint, nor would I imagine that I’d ever be nude there. I would like nudity at public pools, beaches etc. I just hate wearing bathing suits. I also understand that most of the time most people would choose to remain clothed as would I often, but not always. Of course like everything else it comes down to how people conduct themselves. ---
**Author:** ![CJJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/46 "2013-01-28T22:46:54Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > It’s my experience that in places where such is legal, whether New York City or Quebec, very few women choose to do it. Even in France, I’m told, it tends to be more the exception than the rule at public beaches and swimming pools. Just for comparison, I’ve been to Bondai and other public beaches around Sydney, Australia (about 10 years ago), and I can say that ~1/4 of the women there are topless. And without being rude, they ran the gamut–some who you might wish hadn’t made that decision, and others where, as a male, you were glad they did. > [@rsat3acr](#): > > Besides, I can think of some perfectly legal body displays that offend me more than nice boobies. Topless fat hairy men, for instance. Once, my wife and I were in the stands during warmups at a baseball game on a particularly hot summer day. A “topless fat hairy men” sat down in our uncrowded section, and although nobody said a word, after about five minutes IMO the silent revulsion of the nearby patrons prompted him to get up, say something like “it’s too hot for a fat f\*ck like me” and scurry off with his shirt to the concourse. That’s the closest I’ve ever been to believing in group telepathy. ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/47 "2013-01-29T00:19:40Z")
Oddly, it’s against the law for woman to flash in New Orleans. The law there generally takes a back seat to common sense, though. But, every so often the locals get up in arms and the police crack down on flashing and woman are arrested and baffled. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/48 "2013-01-29T00:47:22Z")
Women going topless is also legal in Ontario, but very few women do it, except during Pride parade. > [@Anaamika](#): > > Considering the other thread where men said they couldn’t possibly not stare at a woman’s chest, that they have no self-control, even with a little bit of cleavage showing, I don’t know that I’d want to go completely topless anywhere. Having been to a nudist event, I can state that you get used to it. Yes, you get used to it, and after about ten minutes, it becomes unremarkable. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/49 "2013-01-29T01:31:13Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > What, exactly, are we supposed to debate here? Whether or not this is a good idea? Should there be limitations? Age restrictions? > > Parameters, man! We need parameters! No, we need boobs. **Boobs. BOOBS!** ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/50 "2013-01-29T01:32:20Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Having been to a nudist event, I can state that you get used to it. Yes, you get used to it, and after about ten minutes, it becomes unremarkable. Funny thing: Even in nudist camps, the toilet facilities are screened from public view and segregated by sex. Apparently, there are some thing even nudists would rather do in private. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/51 "2013-01-29T01:38:19Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Funny thing: Even in nudist camps, the toilet facilities are screened from public view and segregated by sex. Apparently, there are some thing even nudists would rather do in private. Or they’re following local building codes. Or they’re camps which are sometimes clothing optional and sometimes not. Or they’re not, and your generalization is just incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/52 "2013-01-29T01:46:16Z")
I’m all in favor of topless women, but I think we’re still decades (at least) from the point where the average American will not equate it with sex, which is to say, to treat it the same as for guys. I also don’t think we’re going to get to that point without legalizing it first, so there’s going to be a period of Righteous Outrage Overlap. ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/53 "2013-01-29T02:15:42Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Women going topless is also legal in Ontario, but very few women do it, except during Pride parade. Having been to a nudist event, I can state that you get used to it. Yes, you get used to it, and after about ten minutes, it becomes unremarkable. You are correct about that. Which is why I like nude beaches no one cares about the nudity or how you look and you get that all over tan without having to bother with a wet bathing suit. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/54 "2013-01-29T02:24:36Z")
I’ve been going to Comfest for years and in general, the women who are topless, aren’t ones you generally want to see 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/55 "2013-01-29T02:29:36Z")
[noparse][Show Them To Me With Subtitles - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16cWiWj--8E%5B/noparse%5D) Show Them To Me! ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/56 "2013-01-29T02:43:12Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > I’ve been going to Comfest for years and in general, the women who are topless, aren’t ones you generally want to see 😉 True, but the guys aren’t, either, and given a choice between (a) a bunch of guys I don’t want to see topless and (b) a bunch of guys & girls I don’t want to see topless and a bunch of girls I do, I’ll take option (b). ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/57 "2013-01-29T03:02:42Z")
The law on exposure should be the same for everyone. If the social custom is more restrictive about other body parts, that’s for the evolution of the culture to take care of, and if we can and may be naked it does not mean we should. > [@lew\_cody](#): > > What’s remarkable is that _male_ shirtlessness was also forbidden on many US beaches until the late 1930s. See the July 18, 1938 issue of LIFE, pages 36-37, for a short discussion of the new trend towards men going topless on East Coast beaches (it had already been acceptable for some time on the West Coast and in Europe). And of course private property owners and operators of public facilities can set forth “No Shoes/No Shirt, No Service” rules. Those I’d expect to still be in effect regardless of exposure laws. > [@CoolHandCox](#): > > Oddly, it’s against the law for woman to flash in New Orleans. The law there generally takes a back seat to common sense, though. But, every so often the locals get up in arms and the police crack down on flashing and woman are arrested and baffled. IME they’ll go after someone who’s being too blatant, and of course if someone has already been warned and keeps at it within sight of the authorities. A way to cool things off before they get out of hand, maybe is their reasoning. ---
**Author:** ![HoboStew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@HoboStew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoboStew)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/58 "2013-01-29T05:14:07Z")
> [@tim314](#): > > (bolding mine)What “doesn’t belong in civilized public spaces” is very much subjective. You’re comparing a cultural taboo (which is not universal) to a health hazard. That’s a big difference IMO. Not really - I would be opposed even if there weren’t any health ramifications, on the grounds that it is gross. If you would like, we can swap it out with peeing in public. There are no health hazards - urine is pretty sterile - but I still don’t think it has any business being done in public. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/59 "2013-01-29T14:18:08Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Or they’re following local building codes. Or they’re camps which are sometimes clothing optional and sometimes not. Or they’re not, and your generalization is just incorrect. I would say his assumption is a good one. I seriously doubt nudists are into crapping in public. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630/60 "2013-01-29T14:22:36Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [noparse][http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16cWiWj--8E[/noparse]](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16cWiWj--8E%5B/noparse%5D) Show Them To Me! Thanks! Never heard of him. He’s filling an empty niche in comedy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tops-off-the-acceptability-of-public-half-nudity-for-women/648630.md?page=4)