Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

I just want to say we won the right to go topless here in Ontario about 10 years ago I believe. I couldn’t figure out for the life of me why none of the men were in the office and why lunch seemed to go on forever. It’s because, one plucky lady, decided to take advantage of the fact that it was now legal and bared her chest. On a weekday, during lunch…. City Hall had never been that packed.

Whoo!  Top-Free!

I don’t know. It seems to me that most people, male or female, look better with clothes on.

People v. Santorelli, 1992, NY. The difference between going topless in public for commercial gain (illegal) and for personal desire (legal). So why are they protesting in NYC?? Or is it to support other states who can’t??

I’d go topless to promote breastfeeding, and to protest the ridiculous reaction so many people have to that act. Otherwise, not so much.

I would not go topless, but I support it. The cause and my boobiews (which is why I won’t go topless.- see thru bra??)

I would rather look at some woman walking around topless than some of the men that I have seen. MY EYES, MY EYES!! I HAVE BEEN BLINDED BY THE GAWDAWFUL MANTITTY!!!! ARRGGHHHH!!!!
And we won’t discuss the usual bellies that go with said naked man titty.

While I agree that male and female should be treated alike on this issue, I also detest the discourtesy shown by so many people these days in going about far too scantily clad in inappropriate surroundings - such as urban public transport.  I resent having my nose pressed against the bare back of a total stranger when travelling on the Underground. 

There are occasions, such as swimming in the sea, in which it seems perfectly reasonable to strip off completely, if one wishes, and again, I don’t see why the sexes should be treated differently, but bare backs, bellies and thighs, let alone chests, seem to me unattractive, unsuitable and uncomfortable in crowded places. 

For both men and women, loose, light cotton clothing covering not only back and chest, but also the upper arms, is more aesthetically pleasing in public surroundings than acres of bare flesh.  It is also a wise choice if one wants to avoid skin cancer, and is more comfortable.

So, yes:  female breasts are no more objectionable than male ones, and it is insulting for the law to imply that they are, but I still believe they should all be kept modestly veiled in most public surroundings.

Breast-feeding is a totally separate issue, to my mind.  Most mothers are perfectly well able to nurse a baby in public in a modest fashion, without any extravagant display of the body.  I can’t imagine why anyone would object to it.  People are very odd.

I would never have the nerve to be topless in public these days because my size-D chariots swing low, but…  In the past, I’ve visited a few nudie beaches, and I have to say that one benefit of such places is that they quickly impress upon you the infinite variety of body shapes and sizes.  In America, most of the “bare boobies” we see are on 20 year old girls posing for Playboy or “Girls Gone Wild”, or nicely backlit on a movie screen.  They’re perfect boobies, round and perky and uptilted and glorious.  But not all boobies are that way, and I think it could help expectations—and self esteem—if people (of all ages and both genders) were more aware of the wonderful variations on the boobie theme (and the body theme, for that matter). The other thing I noticed about the nudie beaches is that initially, it’s a somewhat erotic experience.  Naked bodies everywhere!!  Boobies and twigs and berries!!  Skin, skin, and more skin!!  But before long the eroticism fades and it’s just naked bodies everywhere…boobies and twigs and berries…skin, skin, and more skin.  *yawn*

I guess I’ll be the big weenie here:

I ain’t down with Go Topless Day ladies, sorry.  No offense, but showing up at these rallies is like ringing the dinner bell for every moron with a photo-capable cell phone.  It’s unfortunate, but we don’t live in a female-dominant society where going topless is a natural thing; this sort of attempt at empowerment is just another opportunity for John Q Public to get a hard-on.  ^_^.  Unless every women shows up at this thing with a child on her tit—it means nothing and serves no purpose. 

There’s better things to be rallying for as women, showing off the breast armor in public, is not one of them.  :/

Still love the blog, peace.  ^__^

I’m from Ontario, too, so it’s a done deal, but I’m a prude and I’d rather go the route of no one going topless rather than everyone. At a beach and maybe some parks it would be fine, but it’s not something I’d like to see just walking down the street, and I’m glad that few people here, male or female, seem anxious to exercise that particular right.

Say no to publicly naked boobies of any gender!  Much like making out in public, there are just some things I don’t wanna see.  I wouldn’t inflict my boobies on you while you’re walking to the bookstore, riding the bus or eating lunch.  Please do not inflict your boobies on me!

Wait a minute.  I would definitely argue the point that it is socially acceptable for men to go topless in public, for one reason only:  The ones who do it are the ones who really, really shouldn’t.

The Denver rally will be on the 26th to coincide with the start of the DNC (Welcome to Denver! Here are our boobs!)

I think if they really wanted to make a statement that made an impact, they’d have done better to pick a different day, different venue… maybe even different city entirely.  There are approximately 90 different venues for protests and parades and park events planned around the DNC this week—as in planned and with city-approved permits—not including all the spontaneous ones.  We’ve got people protesting for peace, for war, for gay rights, anti-gay initiatives, immigration rights, stomp on immigration rights, pro-choice, operation rescue, you name it.  We’ve got anarchists, ‘free love’ activists, more government/less government, pot smokers, Christian coalition, yadda yadda.  We’ve even got a group that plans to come and stand around the Denver Mint in a circle, hold hands, think happy thoughts, and with sheer mind power alone cause the building to elevate.  A few extra bare boobies probably won’t even be noticed, and even if they are noticed, the intent behind the cause will be lost.

Tho I suppose it might make the videos and mug shots a bit more interesting.

I guess I’d have to fall in with those above who talk about how there’s a time and a place for it. I’d also like to think (and for those of you who are wondering, the clouds in my world are a fluffy lavender color) that women have better fashion sense than men, and prefer to be seen in a way that is attractive.  I don’t see why women should be treated differently than men, but then I also don’t think a lot of the man-titty on display is overly welcome either.  Or take hair, for example—I’d wager that most women would rather be seen bald than have some ridiculous comb-over, with one hair spiraled and varnished to their scalp, assuming that no one else will notice. 

On one level, I guess I can admire that these people have the self-esteem to wear (or not wear) what they do and be comfortable with it. But on another, I wonder why no one ever pulled them aside and gave them a bit of fashion advice. Or at least told them that their appearance was traumatic to those who had to look at them.

But then, I’m also a firm believer that spandex is a privilege, not a right.  *shrug*  Bare boobs have their place—I’m just not sure it should always be a public place, male or female.

Diane
will do the humanitarian thang, and spare everyone from having to see my boobs swinging freely… You’re welcome.

I’ll err on the side of not inflicting on others what I don’t wish to see on them.  And I discretely nursed 3 infants, in public when necessary…word, not everyone breast feeding in public is discrete.  Wasn’t there a home video gone public on that subject?  Maybe it was local news.  Anyway it was blatent exhibitionism at the mall.

I support these ladies! Having breast fed both of my sons, I know the fear of “getting caught” nursing and infant in public. If nothing else these protests will bring attention to that issue.

I think women should be allowed to go topless anywhere a man is: public pools, beaches, parks. Most malls, stores, and restuarants have a no shirt/no shoes=no service policy. No one is protesting that. If the site of a woman’s breasts or breast feeding bother you, look the other way.

That said, even if I had the right to go bare, I probably wouldn’t. But I sure as hell would still go out and support these ladies!

Say no to publicly naked boobies of any gender!  Much like making out in public, there are just some things I don’t wanna see.  I wouldn’t inflict my boobies on you while you’re walking to the bookstore, riding the bus or eating lunch.  Please do not inflict your boobies on me!

Amen, Carrie.  I don’t give a hoot if someone wants to get nekkid on a nudie beach (as long as I have advance warning), but I don’t want to see 99.999 % of the population au naturel, especially while walking around town.
I have two good reasons not to go topless and they’re both size “D” and have breast fed too many kids to be exposed to polite society.

Hey, maybe we’ll make the cover of National Geographics like the African women do all the time. The photographers seem to love nekkid peepo.

Honestly, aside from the aesthetics and modesty issues (for both genders), aren’t there some safety concerns.  I mean, I am not going to follow some handsome shirtless guy home and rape him, but a woman going topless in public can unwittingly expose herself to some weird guy who WILL follow her home, or into an alley, or whatever, and harm her.  This does not mean she was “asking for it,” btw—I just think we have to be cognizant of the fact that not every guy out there is of the “look, don’t touch” variety.

word:  final19….yeah, that was probably the last year mine were still nice

I had friends that went around topless in the town I lived in Ontario. Never bugged me and I honestly don’t see the problem some people have with the naked body. Yes there are situations were being naked would be very frowned upon (and unsafe), but on the whole I think people are just really prudish about it. There only boobs. I have seen many men with boobs that would fit in a DD bra but they can let them hang free. Never gone topless personally but don’t have a problem with people that do.

I don’t think I would go topless but I would like to see more people tolerant and encouraging breast feeding. I breast fed all three of my kids and when I had my first son I was only 20 and very self-conscious. I was so afraid of breast feeding in public that I was nearly in tears when we were at a mall and my 3-month old infant started wailing because I knew I had to feed him. I was very uncomfortable because the prevailing attitude was that I should go sit in the bathroom and do that. By the time I had my third child, I didn’t care what other people thought and when my daughter was hungry, I found a way to feed her discretely.

I don’t want to see anybody flopping around in public.  Male or female. 

And I’ll probably get flamed six ways from Sunday, but I don’t want to witness blatant breast feeding in public either.  Sorry, I just don’t.  Discretion is a good thing.

I’m with many of you here—I’m not a big fan of going shirtless—for men or women, although there is the occasional, coveted glimpse of muscular sweat-oiled man-titty that I do have locked in the auto-save portion of my consciousness.  However, the public breastfeeding issue is a big one for me.  I breast-fed four kids, and I spent the first two in absolute terror of some stranger a zillion miles away getting some traumatized view of my calloused, abused nipple as it popped in and out of my bra under the three-layer barrier of T-shirt, baby, and blanket. 

Then, when I was nursing my third in a hospital no less (waiting in line for the pharmacy), I caught the ‘You offend me, you bitch’ glare from an upright old man who had nothing better to do than scowl at my screaming, STARVING son as he dug in and chowed.  I was not being exhibitionistic, I DID have a nursing blanket, and you know what?  The old stick could go fuck himself before I dragged the kid out to the car in the cold and huddled over my rack like it was a family history of nose-picking.  If there’s a movement that takes some of the shame and terror of out of a woman feeding her children, I’m all for it.  I mean Jaysuuuus, people, my bod has been stretched and filled beyond all sexual proportion by four children and a lifelong love of Mr. Oreo—if there’s anything sexual behind the accidental flash of my rack as I’m making like Bessie the cow, I think that’s the fault of the pervert watching me.

I don’t have a problem with breastfeeding. Kids need to eat! And while I will never breastfeed (no kids for me) I see no problem at all with the women that do in public. My sister tried but just couldn’t. I am pissed off at the people that get angry at women breast feeding. Thats what they are for and if you don’t like it, look away. It shouldn’t be a shameful thing! And wouldn’t be if people were not so prudish.

Ew.  I’m all for empowerment but it just seems like an excuse to get to see boobs.  I’m sure some guys are out there going “Sure, empower yourselves!  We’ll just sit back here with a box of tissues…”

On another note I really don’t want to see people topless.  Man or woman.  Keep it covered!  Then when it DOES come off it’s way more fun.  Not to mention I’m sure they aren’t all hotties.  And if I have to look at anyone in the nude besides myself and my better half I want them hot and hidden through a filter.

I know, I know.  I’m horrid.  But I went to those nude beaches in various European countries and it isn’t pretty and it doesn’t better the world.

I respect people who “Don’t want to see that”, and I think they should look the other way.

Another one from Ontario, where it’s been legal for years.

An interesting note for the people who say that they would be uncomfortable seeing nakedness in public places, of any gender: it’s been legal for AGES, and I have never ONCE seen a naked breast in the streets (minus Pride Day, but that’s to be expected).

The point is people having the same legal rights. It’s the principle, rather than the practice.

I don’t think we’re talking about women walking through the mall or down a street topless with their girls merrily bouncing along (athough I’m sure there would be those rebel few).  We’re talking a public beach, the pool, a park while sunbathing, etc., the exact same situations in which men have free rein to pull their shirts off. 

What is so “ewww” about that?  Are those of you who don’t want to see it telling me you don’t stop for a second in your brain and admire a man with a really nice set of abs and pecs jogging through the park?  Why would a woman being topless inspire the urge to slap your hands over your eyes? 

This sounds suspiciously like the feeling that many people have of fat people, that “You make me uncomfortable and/or disgusted” attitude.  Some of the comments I’ve just read here speak more of your own personal body issues, not denying women the right to pull their shirt off at the beach. 

And I find it hilariously ironic that this debate is taking place on a blog (that I ADORE) that spends a great chunk of time critiquing bare-chested cover men and man-titties.  Then we mention women-titties and people are covering their eyes or saying “No, no, women will be sexualized by it!!!”

Sorry but as a guy can I point out I wish more of those legal male titties were covered the hell up.

Why is it always the ones who should not, do it all the time?

Now with the obesity stats at an all time high… NO NO NO!
Think this through people!

My momma always said don’t flaunt what you don’t got.
Momma should have told more people than just me.

meanwhile, men are happy everywhere. >.>

The webocomic Octopus Pie which takes place in Brooklyn refrences the 1992 ruling in one of their storylines:

http://www.octopuspie.com/index.php?date=2007-08-27

Note: contains cartoon boobies. NSFW?

Most mothers are perfectly well able to nurse a baby in public in a modest fashion, without any extravagant display of the body.  I can’t imagine why anyone would object to it.

About two years ago, there was an incident on Fort Bragg, NC where an employee was fired essentially for breast feeding in public.  She worked in the mini-mall, her husband brought the baby by for a feeding on her lunch break, the manager claimed he got a complaint and fired her.  There were protests, of course, including a feed-in—about half dozen women all showed up at the mini-mall and fed their babies.  :D The woman got her job back.

Lorelie, it sounds like that boss forgot the primary use for the female breast.

Count me in as one who really doesn’t want to see a lot of exposed mammaries, but one who won’t rally against them if that’s what her women peers want. 

I’ve been to those nude beaches in Europe, too, and it ain’t a pretty sight. I don’t know what’s worse, old farts in speedos, or old tarts with weirdos.

peace

I couldn’t breastfeed topless! I need the bra to stop the other breast from leaking all over the place. I’d be sitting there topless with a milk fountain spraying off one side. That’s just plain rude.

I wouldn’t want to go topless anyways - all the unnecessary bouncing which leads to sagging, gawks from squicky people and risk of nipple burn. But I certainly would defend a woman’s right to treat her breasts with such disrespect. I just personally don’t see the point.

I also agree men should wear a top. I love America with its “No Shirt No Shoes No Service!” rules. Bring it to UK please!

I love America with its “No Shirt No Shoes No Service!” rules. Bring it to UK please!

I’ve been in the UK almost three years and still have fits when I see barechested, barefooted people in restaurants and stores. Places where they serve food! Disgusting.

Put me firmly in the “if you are not on the beach, it is never socially acceptable for you to take your top of no matter what gender you are” category. I’d much rather go to a rally where we all wear parkas to ecourage others to cover up.

As for breastfeeding in public…I guess the issue confuses me a little. I breastfed my second child exclusively until she was nine months old, and nursed her at night for another eight months after that. I scheduled my outside-the-house trips around her feedings. A baby so young it needs to nurse almost constantly should not be out of the house anyway, IMO, and to me, a big part of nursing was letting go of the busy schedule and accepting that just staying home on the couch with my baby was my job at that point. I also pumped and took bottles of breastmilk with me on the few occasions we did need to go out, just in case, which worked very well (and my daughter never had “nipple confusion”). I think once I got caught out when she was three months old or so—I stayed in the car with her only because it was a Target and there was no place for me really to sit with her. But if I had breastfed her in the store I would have made sure nobody could see anything (and I to had to keep a bra on all the time for nursing). That’s what nursing tops with the special slits are for. Or big shirts arranged in just the right way.

Point is, nobody wants to see your boobs, ladies. You have every right to breastfeed in public (or you should) but that doesn’t mean you should wave them around like you’re at home. You’re not, so please be careful. And men, you keep your shirts on too. I don’t want to have to look at your hairy pits while I go about my business.

Just, everybody, put on some clothes!! Pease!

Put me firmly in the “if you are not on the beach, it is never socially acceptable for you to take your top of no matter what gender you are”

Me too. And please add swimmingpools.

I support the fight for equal shirtless rights, but personally I’d prefer if both sexes kept their tops on—breastfeeding excluded, of course, because it’s ridiculous to tell a woman she can’t use her breasts for their biological purpose.

I was at the beach in Spain, and frankly the toplessness made me really uncomfortable and self conscious.  But maybe that’s because it’s apparently against the law to be ugly in Spain, and everyone I saw at the beach looked like a swimsuit ad.

That said, even if I had the right to go bare, I probably wouldn’t. But I sure as hell would still go out and support these ladies!

I agree with you on both counts. These DD puppies barely see the light of day even at home- cause it just plain hurts too much!

I think we need to delete this idea that the appropriateness of going topless is connected to how attractive one’s breasts are. So many commenters are saying “I wouldn’t do it because my breasts aren’t nice looking.” I totally understand feeling that way, but I’d like to see more women dress in the way that is comfortable and functional for them, not in the way that they think is attractive to other people. It’s no one else’s business. Every summer I hear other women talk about how they don’t wear sleeveless shirts because their arms are “too fat.” I’m done with that kind of self-censorship. It’s HOT here in the summer, and I’m not going to cover up a perfectly legal part of my body because it might offend someone else. The problem is THEIRS, not MINE; they are welcome to gouge their eyes out with a fork if they don’t like it. If you hide every part of your body that might bother someone, pretty soon you are dressed in chaderi, and that is not OK with me.

I have mixed feelings about the female toplessness idea, because as someone pointed out, women and men are not treated equally in this world, and it would mostly serve as a lech-fest for the men rather than a step toward power for women. But this whole idea needs to be a separate issue from self-imposed or societally-imposed standards of beauty.

The problem is THEIRS, not MINE; they are welcome to gouge their eyes out with a fork if they don’t like it. If you hide every part of your body that might bother someone, pretty soon you are dressed in chaderi, and that is not OK with me.

Now see, I agree with your concept but not on this one point.

Personally I think the law should be totally silent about men or women going topless in public. Just like picking your nose in public which is socially unacceptable. It is not polite but they are not gonna send you to jail for it nor will your behavior be addressed by our court system.

Now if a privately owned place of business has a policy that plainly states they will ask you to leave for picking your nose or going topless or breast feeding your baby that is their legal right based on their customers social values and you do not have a right to impose your values on them.

You rights stop where my rights begin. Just like I don’t wander into Boy Scout meetings demanding they accept gays… Right?

I never did understand what part of the health code being shirtless or shoeless in a restaurant was breaking.  It’s not like something is going to fly off a person’s chest that couldn’t be on their shirt or that the bottom of their feet is any dirtier than the bottom of their shoes would be. 

Also, I have been to nude beaches and clothing optional concerts and frankly, it doesn’t take all that long for the unusualness to wear off.

my bod has been stretched and filled beyond all sexual proportion by four children and a lifelong love of Mr. Oreo—if there’s anything sexual behind the accidental flash of my rack as I’m making like Bessie the cow, I think that’s the fault of the pervert watching me.

LOVE this!!!!!  I do think that women should be able to feed their children on demand, wherever they are.  I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to BF due to meds; it seems like a wonderful experience.

The talk about the nude beaches reminded me of when Dh and I were at a conference in South Beach.  There were women there whom you could tell were sunbathing topless, but they were discreet about it, and it just didn’t seem that big of a deal.  However, there were two young women who were just strutting down the beach, no tops, very flirty, who I swear looked like the women in comic books.  That was when DH gave me a lesson on how to tell fake from real.  It seemed rude to me, not that they were nude, exactly, but that they thought it was all right to display themselves to other people’s boyfriends and husbands.  Definitely “bad naked.”

As a mother who’s breastfed in public, I must say that it’s not always possible to keep your boobies under wraps the entire time.  Babies don’t like having their faces covered.  They grab any cloth within reach.  They WILL expose you.

Breastfeeding in public always embarassed me, not because I was ashamed, but because other people are weird.  I’ve been given my share of odd looks.  It’s too bad that the sight of a woman feeding her baby makes so many people (guys, mostly) do a double-take.

I don’t think I’d go topless in public, even on a beach, for the same reason.  I support the cause, but I don’t like the idea of being on display for some creep.

Here, here to SB Sarah’s comment.  How “attractive” your body is should have nothing to do with your legal rights.  Boobs are only a big deal because we make them a big deal and the average boob is not more or less weird looking than the average thigh and i don’t hear anyone demanding long pants or skirts. 
And also, right on about the new mother’s thing. I’ve never had a kid but I’ve read some theoretical stuff about pregnant women’s bodies as public property (strangers touching you, asking intimate questions, etc) and i think that the rejection of new mothers is an extension of this already wack set up where women’s bodies can be made acceptable and unacceptable by the whims of society.  it’s just was messed up to shame new mothers as it is to get all up in a pregnant woman’s business when you don’t know her like that.

I breastfed my first child in a lot of places; I was a single mom, college student.  I took a week off from classes when she was born, and then I went back to school, baby and all.  I nursed her in lecture classes, in activity labs, in the library, you name it.  All of my professors and almost all of my fellow students were wonderful and supportive about the feeding, the diapers, all of it.  The few who weren’t never got to me; the message they got was clearly that it was their problem if they couldn’t handle it.  But I know I was a lucky girl, and that’s not at all a typical reaction in our culture, more’s the pity.  I totally agree with SB Sara about the way new mothers are usually treated, and it burns me up.

Any woman who is comfortable with her shirt off sunbathing, jogging (not me, just cause they bounce), working in her yard or whatever should be able to go for it.  Just like a guy.  Don’t like it?  Don’t look.  When the guy across the street mows his lawn shirtless, I don’t really care.  If he were hot, maybe I would, ‘cuz yeah, I’m human.  Shouldn’t that be the same, regardless of gender?  We’re not there yet, but we’re not going to get there without a transition period of some women baring it and braving the reactions.

The body parts we cover up take on mystique and become sexual (see the female ankle in most historical romance novels).  While some of us might prefer a little MORE mystery, I for one would rather have the standards equal, whatever they are.

Oh, and I also agree that if we saw more variety of bare body parts, we’d be more accepting of the reality of what’s out there.  Seeing only the lovely bodies displayed, while perhaps aesthetically pleasing, does create an impossible standard that can lead to all kinds of issues.  I know my mother got a lot more comfortable about her body (gave birth to seven kids, what can you expect?) after spending a lot of time in Australia where the nearest beach was topless.

I don’t think aesthetics should be the issue here at all: this is a wholly inappropriate value-judgement.  Either bare chests are okay or they are not, and in my view, the important factors are neither sex nor beauty, but context.  I have never had children, but I am closer to 70 years old than 60, and my body is not nearly as pretty now as it was 50 years ago.  That is utterly irrelevant;  one day the 20-year-olds will be 70, and they will understand the truth of that.  If I were on a nude beach, where people of both sexes and all ages were swimming naked in the sea, no problem (and swimming naked is a wonderful experience, quite different from swimming in a swimsuit). 

But in a crowded urban context, it is simply good manners to keep a low profile, not to call attention to oneself for whatever reason, to respect other people’s personal boundaries as far as possible.  Very scanty clothing is, rightly or wrongly, an attention-getter, and therefore discourteous.

As I said, I think nursing a baby is a TOTALLY different issue - really it is.  If a mother has a young infant with her (and who are we to judge whether she could have stayed at home, or had to come out and bring the baby with her?), and the baby needs to be fed, she has, in my view, an absolute right to go ahead and meet her offspring’s needs, and anyone who doesn’t like it should just look away.

Sarah said: If men are sunbathing topless, women should be able to do so as well.

Men can pee standing up, too. Damn, but life’s just not fair!

“Men can pee standing up, too. Damn, but life’s just not fair!”

But we all pee, no? Just because my breasts are bigger, I have to keep them covered?

*joins Sarah in taking off shirt*

You absolutely don’t have to cover up anything you don’t want to cover up KTG—and you shouldn’t be arrested for baring your boobs, either.

But I gotta tell ya, woman to woman, I’d rather look at Daniel Craig’s chest than yours. No offense!  LOL

“But I gotta tell ya, woman to woman, I’d rather look at Daniel Craig’s chest than yours. No offense!  LOL”

None taken. Yeah, his chest is nice.

I prefer Hugh Jackman. He got all buff for the latest Wolverine movie…

But I gotta tell ya, woman to woman, I’d rather look at Daniel Craig’s chest than yours.

prefer Hugh Jackman. He got all buff for the latest Wolverine movie

Make mine Robert Downey Jr. Did you see those arms and chest in Iron Man?? Whew. Although my daughter would have no problems seeing Angelina Jolie in the buff, she’s not my cup of tea. LOL

Happy topless day! Hope someone breastfeeds while this is going on because that would just underscore the awesome.

Gotta say, that while I completely support a woman’s right to nurse in public, (I did it with all three of mine)  I can also say from experience, nursing topless, as in no nursing bra and no pads...gets very, very messy.  Uber messy.  I’m selfishly big on personally comfort so I loved my bra during those times.

My views on public breastfeeding are absolute:  women should be able to and should be accepted anywhere in public they want to breastfeed.  Are there some places the mother might feel less comfortable doing so?  Are there some places the mother might deem less desirable to breastfeed?  Yes to both.  But the ridiculous taboo against public breastfeeding makes me nuts.  For women who want some coverage, there are these fabulous hooter hiders.  But women IMO should never be made to feel uncomfortable of self-conscious in their choice to breastfeed publicly.

As for general toplessness, I’m with the crowd that advocates equal standards.  That is, where it’s okay for me, it should be okay for women.  I don’t have a problem with businesses that restrict various forms of public nudity (shoes, shirts, service kinds of places), but IMO it should be gender neutral. 

I have to wonder, though, whether the fetishization of the female breast has more to do with its sexualization or the food source issue.  Surely it can’t be that women’s breasts are any more a sexual organ than a man’s (men have similar nipple sensations to women, albeit the different plumbing blueprint creates some logistical differences).  Although women’s breasts have been fetishized as *sexual objects*—that also function as a practical food source and delivery system.  And only one of these things is made meaningful via the male gaze.  IMO as long as women support this objectification and find it meaningful to their sense of self and self-esteem, the concept of mammary modesty will persist.  Also, as long as women continue to police the appropriateness of public breastfeeding (because really, do you see men debating this issue?), mammary modesty will persist. 

At this point I think women have responded to the objectification of breasts in a very mixed way, and I think it will ultimately be up to us to change the terms of our own bodies’ significance, both in terms of our sexual objectification and the cultural signification of motherhood.

It has jack all to do with “what I want to see.”  Nor with what I plan to do with my boobs (which is absolutely NOT whipping them out, incedentally). It’s about “what people should be arrested for.”  And no, I am not okay with the double standard.

Sexualization of breasts is not inherent, it is imposed.  The only thing they are inherently for is food.

I have been to a toples beach, actually, and while I see no need to join in (as a dark skinned person I have no interest in tanning, and the primary point of toplessness that *I* saw was avoiding tan lines), it is quite amazing how seeing a variety of body types can make you extremely comfortable with your own.  From teen hotties to 85-year-old grandmothers.

I’ve never posted but this is a fun topic and just have to pipe it about the breastfeeding in public. 
Someone noted that you can keep your baby at home for the first several months, thereby removing the issue of breastfeeding in public.  And it sure is true that most babies want to nurse ALL the time in those first few months.  But in my experience you cannot stay home all day if you have other kids (the older children will go insane—and bite the baby and hate it ;-). 
Moreover, even for the first child, while staying in the house might be possible/desirable for some women, for others it is suffocating.  I agree that the post-partum recovery should not be rushed, but people heal physically and mentally in different ways.  Fresh air at park in good weather and coffee shops in bad kept me sane.

There is nothing more natural than breast feeding.
We should all celebrate who we are.
Happy Topless Day!

I feel my public service - to the world no less - is that I personally not go topless in front of anyone except my husband (and the toddler girl, who calls them my “belly”).

Hmmm, was that parenthesized part TMI?

I do support women who want to have the same rights as men. Really though, the juvenile and hypocritical views surrounding breasts would be reflected for years in all sorts of mishaps; traffic jams, other public disturbances, etc., simply because there are boobs in plain view. Oh my gawd! BOOBS! Let the staring, whooping, whistling and jeering commence. If that was ever a non-issue, THAT I would celebrate.

I don’t think I’d go topless in public, even on a beach, for the same reason.  I support the cause, but I don’t like the idea of being on display for some creep.

I have to agree with this. Like I said, I would support others wanting to do so, but I personally would not.. Me getting into my bathing suit on a cruise in the next few months will be self-esteem deflating enough.

They grab any cloth within reach.  They WILL expose you.

Are those babies in cahoots with those men I described above? Heehee, just kidding. Good to note, thanks. I will remember this if we ever have another baby.

Someone noted that you can keep your baby at home for the first several months, thereby removing the issue of breastfeeding in public.

Not true in my case and I’m sure in others. For one, my daughter was premature, so was unable to breastfeed with her tiny mouth. She hated me for trying too lol. Poor thing. But even if I had been able to do so with her, I wouldn’t have been able to because of work. I had right at two weeks at home with her before I had to return to work. I was bitter about that for an entire year. Very. Bitter.

But as far as others breastfeeding, I agree it’s done very modestly when I happen to see it and it’ s such a beautiful sight. What’s better than a happily contented baby?

LMAO that the work filter allowed topless.org.

I’m a moron and posted this under the wrong post-but it shoulda gone here….

  I never did understand what part of the health code being shirtless or shoeless in a restaurant was breaking.  It’s not like something is going to fly off a person’s chest that couldn’t be on their shirt or that the bottom of their feet is any dirtier than the bottom of their shoes would be.

Probably TMI here, but restaurants and stores get a lot of…well, foot traffic, so to speak, and not necessarily a lot of sun. Which means the floors are going to be a breeding ground for germs and fungi-people don’t like going barefoot in a gym because of athlete’s foot and there are other fungal infections that can be picked up with the feet.

Not entirely sure about the bare chest thing, but bare feet in busy places are one way to catch some yucky fungal infections.

I think it’s kind of horrific to suggest that a woman, and a baby, not go outside for whatever amount of time because of some idea that it’s “lewd.”  Especially when people can in fact control their own actions to make the world acceptable and stress-free for themselves, aka, don’t look. In this case, I don’t think that it’s other people’s job to “protect” me.  It’s not like a nursing mother is whipping them out, waving her hands going “whoo whoo!” and bouncing around.  (Unlike a topless fellow smushed against me in a crowded subway, or sweating into my food, or a perv flashing his junk for the sole purpose of power tripping and making women uncomfortable. That’s invasive.)

There are things than need to be controlled, but I can’t agree that this is one of them.

(Plus, you’re supposed to breast feed for a year to get full benefits, especially if your family is prone to asthma or allergies. And y’know, at some point during that year, yer gonna need to go shopping.  If you don’t have servants.)

There are a lot of things about U.S. culture (the only one I can speak to, as it is mine) I feel are unfairly denigrated.  But this aspect of our culture really bugs me.  It’s a baby, eating the way God intended, not some exploitative sex display. We’re supposed to be all about the upcoming generation and doing the best for them we can manage.

(That’s not a slam on bottle feeding.  I was bottle-fed and I am cool with that.  But we do have research suggesting that mom’s milk provides concrete benefits for some kids otherwise prone to illness and such.)

I support equal treatment under the law, but I also support “there’s a time and a place” for both genders.

However, breastfeeding, I am absolutely anytime, anyplace.  A hungry baby takes precedence over anyone’s prudery.  Yeah, with my first, I managed to schedule around feedings and naps as possible, and I knew where the good dressing rooms were in every mall.  I’d rather have a quiet place free of distraction myself.  But when the second one came three and a half years later, her big sister already had an active social life that had to be managed as well.  And sorry, I’m not going to hermit myself for other people’s prudery.  Plus, neither of my babies ever took a bottle, no matter how much I pumped and froze and tried get a break for more than two hours at a time.  So, for anyone who saw me latch the younger one on in the middle of Chili’s five years ago and had a problem with it, I would ask them if they’d rather have heard her screaming (in a pitch that made dogs bark, mind you) until I could get boxes for the food, pay, and gather the vast array of stuff one shleps while dining with an infant and preschooler?

I live in Denver, and I’ve a four month old… Where should I serve lunch for the most impact?

Oh- and yes and those cover-up nursing contraptions do cover up, but you ever try eating with a blanket over your head in 90 degree Denver heat?  Sweaty babies are gross!

I say it’s a body part – we’ve all seen them someway or another, what’s the big deal?