How would you feel if women walked around Topless at a social event...

Image Source: Pixabay

This is obviously a sensitive topic for many. So if you'd prefer not to think about it or see men or women topless, close this page now and walk away.

There will be images of both genders topless, but it only serves to illustrate the points discussed in this article.

A recent article that I shared on Facebook has sparked some interesting discussions between me and my former colleagues, family and friends. This was an article on a United States Federal Court ruling that women are free to display their breasts in public:

http://awarenessact.com/uniteds-states-federal-court-rules-females-are-free-to-display-their-breasts-in-public/?=ire

Of course, I don't know what the status and feelings of this matter is in America, since I live in South Africa. Here, there is such a thing as public indecency, where neither men nor women are allowed to walk around topless in public, unless you go to a designated zone, like one of our public nude beaches.

But what is the big deal? Why did such a ruling have to come into place, and how do you feel about women being topless at your next braai in summer, or at your local public pool? Should women walk around topless, or should men start covering up?

Let's have a healthy discussion about it and take a look at some of the elements.

WHERE IT ALL STARTED

Image Source: Pixabay

So let's get a bit theological. This isn't a religious debate or discussion, but I want to refer to the first written account of where nudity apparently became a problem. Moses wrote the first five books of the bible according to Christian beliefs, which includes the account of the Garden of Eden. Within it, he describes how Adam and Eve were both nude in the garden, as were all the animals and plants. Of course, most animals have something to cover their sexual organs in some way, such as fur, scales or feathers. Humans kind of let it all hang out there. But there was no problem with it.

And then, according to Moses's account, they ate fruit from the Tree of Good and Evil, and realised they were naked. I'm not sure if this meant that they realised they were evil by being naked, but all it states is that they realised they were naked and covered themselves up. God saw that they had come to this realisation, leading to the discovery that they had disobeyed him, and they were banished from the garden.

CULTURAL ACCEPTANCE

Image Source: The Zulu Kingdom

As we move to the modern age and civilisation, we all started covering up a lot more. As a matter of fact, it becomes a point of fashion more than covering up. But we are not here to discuss fashion in the least.

We are here to discuss the apparent issue with women being topless and freeing the nipple, as the #freethenipple movement calls it. In what we call normal society, it is not acceptable for a woman to be topless unless she is doing a dance in a stripclub or bike rally. Well, it is frowned upon in the very least.

But why is this so? Some state that is a distraction to men and nothing would get done. We will get to this a bit more lately. Right now I want to focus on culture. If you look at some of the indigenous tribes, as the photo above, it is normal for the women to be as topless as men. To them, it is an every day theme that breasts hang free. In fact, they don't even notice it anymore.

The United States case refers specifically to a law passed by the Municipality of Fort Collins in the state of Colorado passed back in 2015 stating that, unless a woman was breastfeeding or under the age of nine, she was not allowed to be topless in public. I am sure in many countries across the world, similar laws or opinions are in place.

But it is because of this law in Colorado that this debate has arisen anew. The law was seen as discrimination against women. Why should men be allowed to walk around topless and not women? What has happened to equal rights? If women are demanded to cover up, shouldn't men be asked to do the same?

WHO IS TO BLAME?

Image Sources: Pixabay and Pixabay

Does the image of the open breasts above bother you? What about the topless man? If one bothers you and not the other, why?

I have had several discussions with men and women about this topic. My discussions with women involve women blaming men for women not being able to walk around topless. And this is for two reasons.

MEN MAKE IT SEXUAL

According to the women I have spoken to, men have made female breasts a sexual thing. Yes, many times foreplay involves something to do with stimulating the nipples as erogenous zones. But what happens in the bedroom should stay in the bedroom. Men have highly sexualised female breasts, when they are the same as men's chests, except that breasts have mammary glands that assist with breastfeeding. Just like other mammals out there, but yet we don't clothe them.

But because men, and Hollywood, have sexualised breasts, it is preferred that women cover them up as much as they cover up their vaginas. And yet, the breast is not a sexual organ like the vagina. The breast does not assist with reproduction. And strangely enough, men's chests have the same effect on women that breasts have on men.

I asked the women I spoke to if a man with built pectoral muscles turn them on. If a man with huge muscles had to walk in topless, would they get moist between their legs. The unanimous answer: yes... yes it would. So men's chests can be sexualised too. When they watch movies like Twilight and Jacob takes his top off to reveal that chest and six pack belly, they all utter "oh my......".

But yet, slap a topless woman in there, and we have to change the PG rating of the film. Little girls can pine for those muscles, but small boys, who probably grew up suckling on their mothers' teets when they were younglings, are not permitted to see female nipples until they are 16 (depending on your country's legal age limit).

Which leads to the second reason women feel uncomfortable with walking around topless.

MEN MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE

We stare. Hell, do we stare. The less behaved of us make cat calls, whistle and allude to moving to the bedroom for a more intimate encounter. And many times we don't realise just how uncomfortable this makes women feel. But throughout our life, women's breasts have been hidden from us, covered up like a treasured prize. So when one is revealed, we get all excited.

Would it have been different if women were allowed public toplessness and we grew used to it from a young age? If it was the norm and women were as free as men to walk around topless? I asked my interviewees how they would feel if we had a braai, the men and women drinking beers and ciders around the fire, both genders topless in the summer sun. The women expressed that they would enjoy that freedom, if the men didn't make it weird.

SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE

Image Source: Pixabay

Even with the US Federal Court ruling, I believe the world is far from ready to accept this type of social norm. I am all for it, don't get me wrong. I believe women have just as much right to be topless when it is appropriate as men. But this will take some adjustment. It will take some mental changes for men to go from seeing topless women as an invite to a sexual encounter to growing used to women being topless just because they want to. Where women can just remove their tops at a swimming pool or braai and everyone is so used to that sort of behaviour that everyone carries on regardless.

The biggest issue would be jealousy and relationship issues. I've seen wives or girlfriends fight with their partners simply for staring at cleavage. Or going overboard: the wife asking if he thought the other woman was beautiful, even though he doesn't know who she is talking about. Now imagine a woman removes her top at a braai and the jealous wife is not too happy about it. Well, guess what, we men go through that too. I am rather flat chested, and when a man who has massive pectorals undressed at the swimming pool, I feel rather inferior and rather cover my flatness again with my shirt.

Ok, so that was maybe ten years ago. Those kind of things don't really bother me anymore. All I am saying is that men get as insecure about their chests as women do about their breasts.

Social Media and platforms have helped promote not allowing women being topless. If you are on Facebook, you would notice that women cannot post their breasts on Facebook without being reported for nudist posting. Yet, men can post their nipples all day long, and it won't be a problem. It is this type of social behaviour that drives opinions about what is acceptable or not.

NOT ALL BEHAVIOUR IS ACCEPTABLE

Image Source: Pixabay

I am part of photographic groups where I have seen competitions for nudist photography. What is relevant are the rules on what is acceptable and not acceptable. And I believe it can be applied to public topless situations too. It is one thing for it to be accepted that women can walk around topless like men. It is another if a woman walks around topless, flaunting her breasts or pressing them on a man's face, asking if he wants to suckle them.

A woman's nudity is an art that truly can be appreciated. I cannot speak about topless men, since that has no appeal to men whatsoever. There are some wonderful photographs out there that are very tasteful, and have not been sexualised. It is one thing for a woman to be photographed topless or just in her panty, showing the beauty of a woman. It is quite another for the same image to be taken with her hands between her legs or rubbing her breasts in a sexual way.

And that is why I am all for women being as topless as men at functions or locations where it is acceptable for both genders to do so, as long as there is some acceptable behaviour that goes along with it. And if one of the men start to make them feel uncomfortable, the women shouldn't be expected to dress up: the man should be asked to leave.

CONCLUSIONS

Clearly, this is not a change that will happen overnight. It is something that society would have to become used to until topless women at functions or public pools become so normal that we don't even notice it anymore. But don't women want it to be noticed? I know if a woman compliments me that my gym sessions are paying off, that I would appreciate it. Because that isn't sexual.

But what about you? What are you thoughts on women being topless? I am hoping to hear more from the women on this than the men, but please, anyone feel free to share your thoughts. But please, don't argue about it. Let's have healthy, decent discussions and opinions.

Please support my work by subscribing for FREE to one of the following: