I'm not saying this is historically accurate, but when I wonder who demanded that brazen toplessness be made illegal, this comes to mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvhFs2bdRpE

Should they be? I'm OK with it as long as Amy bares all for public viewing.

In the West, it is a cultural norm for women to cover their breasts in public. In other cultures (e.g. African tribal cultures), it's not.

I think there are two issues, or at least question, here:

- Why are these women protesting the cultural norm? What, exactly, is the message that they want to get across? Are they genuinely just wanting to wander around topless? Or is this another expression of rabid feminism: "we want everything guys have, plus more".

I suspect it is the latter, and I would ask any of you to look around, the next time you're on a busy street. How many shirtless men do you see? Likely, the answer will be "none".

My point: shirtless men are also culturally frowned upon in nearly all situations.

- Ok, the second question: should cultural norms be enforced with fines and arrests? Here, I think the answer is "no".

Let women go topless if they want. Let society's reactions tell them if they are being inappropriate. Let private businesses continue to refuse service to topless customers.

Also: in the West, women's breast *do* have a sexual meaning. The women walking around with signs claiming the opposite are simply denying reality. If they want to live in a culture where this is not true, Africa is calling.

I'm pretty sure they have the male 14+ vote.

"Legal briefs", heh.

Now I expect these women to demand something else when people stare at them, like special protection, and the death penalty for gropers. Gropers rape, you know. Especially if Republican.

To all: With few exceptions, I don't want to see your naked ass on television all the time, much less on the street.

I wonder why some people just don't get it: a thing which is commonplace is not treasured. If you want to be ignored, not admired, just make your appearance ordinary.

This is what feminists are fighting for? Really?? There's nothing more important in life than the right to be topless in socially inappropriate situations? I've hung out at hippie hollow, and before our kids got old enough for it to be inappropriate, clothing was pretty optional here. My 70 year old mom feels no need to always be clothed on her farm all the time. Those are all appropriate places.

"If Manboobs Are Legal To Expose, Shouldn't Hers Be?"

No, and here is why. Women are pretty, men are ugly.

Assuming the picture in the article is accurate she is too attractive to be a man. If she was as ugly as a man with moobs then it would be all right. Here is where the logic gets complicated. Men like looking at pretty boobs and don't want to look at ugly ones. So you would think we would make the uggos cover up and let the nice ones get some fresh air. But people aren't that simple. Every time we make it legal for women to go topless in public all the good looking ones cover up and the near moobs come out to play. While when it is illegal the pretty ones know they can get away with it while the less attractive know they can't. So we get periodic flashes from the nice ones and hide the unattractive ones.

So from a purely selfish male position it is in our best interest to make topless women in public illegal. I'm sure there are other reasons. But that is silly enough and functional enough for me.

Related:

Parents of Iowa Teen Sue Prosecutor to Stop Him From Sticking Her With Sexting Charges For Her Selfies Sent To A Boy

http://abcn.ws/2eoUdE7

Man! I already have to mentally prepare myself if I go to WalMart. Not sure I could handle this situation.c

Meanwhile:

"The FBI has a controversial new method of fighting child pornography: distributing child pornography."

http://reason.com/blog/2016/11/11/fbi-authorized-to-run-24-child-porn-site

Childish boundary testing by timid ninnies who've not yet integrated the mundane truth that men and women have different feelings about things, specifically, tits. Knockers. The Dairy.

As a rule, it's no fun helping people over 20 navigate their way through belated adolescence. And they're usually bad in bed.

Manboobs are rarely, if ever, thought of as sexually desirable. Large manboobs are not a sign of fertility or health - or known to elicit strong emotions in the opposite sex, other than revulsion.

By all means, let's write laws in defiance of biology. 'cause life's not fair!

If we're going to write laws with manboobs as justification, let's write laws outlawing the public display of manboobs.

"Well, the female body is a work of art. The male body is utilitarian. It's for gettin' around, like a jeep." ~ Elaine Benes (Seinfeld)

I hope this woman realizes that once female toplessness becomes legal and everyday, the thrill she gets from going topless in defiance of social norms will be gone. And she'll have to find a new way to get her jollies at the expenses of everyone else.

How do they have the money to hire a lawyer for stuff like this? Does anyone else wonder how they get money for stuff like this?

I could not afford to sue someone.

We were in Chicago a year or two ago, and there's this park that parallels the beach, and my daughter was looking around and asked, "Why are all the men naked?"

There were a lot of topless guys.

Just thought it was funny. You see men and women topless on beaches here (though women not as often as men) but you don't see them wandering around like that.

I have man-boobs, and I don't dare parade them in public. I don't care if it's legal; I just don't want half the populace to run away from me screaming.

There is a nude beach near me - and believe me, all those folks who do go nude are the ones you wish would cover up.

Those who look very attractive with or without swimming suits are the ones who do NOT go nude.

Further, if we do allow, both legally and socially acceptable, women to go topless; do you really want to be eating at a restaurant where some woman has just been nursing her kid who slobbered all over the booth that you will be sitting in next?

The same is true at a nudist colony - for both men and women - who wants to sit in a chair that other people just sat in? Sorry, but skid marks in your underwear are not my business. But, skid marks on the chair that I will sit in next are yuck!

But you see it's our (over 25 yo) culture that has to change!

Obviously no one else's.

I have two thoughts on this:

First, there's a comic (whose name escapes me at the moment) who is a very large guy. He did a bit about being at a theme/water park and him and his friend ripping their shirts off at the top of a slide. They got (as the bit goes) stopped by the monitors showing the photos of everyone screaming on the way down. Security was asking if they knew who the women were who were being so indecent.

Second thought - we live near a high school. The boys track or whatever likes to run through our neighborhood after school. Topless and in a pack. I would very much like them to put their tops on. I do not need to see their pasty-white bodies - causes glare while driving by the way. But, moreover, I feel going down the sidewalk is a shirt-on experience - even if you are running.

That said, I think it would be great for the law to be equal for men and women. We should all keep our clothes on.

Shannon, back when I lived in Florida, in Palm Beach it was illegal for a man to go shirtless in public except at the beach itself. Where I live, it's not illegal but you don't see it much. It has cultural connotations of redneckery. And most restaurants will not admit a shirtless man. The only time I step out of the house shirtless is when I'm mowing the back yard or sitting on the deck, and then nobody can see me.

Having said all that, I don't think the feminists are going to win on this one. The matter has been tested in court many times, and unless they have a really novel legal theory, I don't think any court is going to overturn precedent. As noted, there are cultural reasons -- few people in Western nations regard the sight of a man's nipples as sexually suggestive, while nearly everyone regards female nipples as sexual. And it's not that cultural norms should never be challenged. I think they should all have to stand for testing periodically. But overturning cultural norms will never be that easy in a reasonably stable society, and usually that's a good thing.

I'm fine with women letting their tits flop in the wind.

So long as they stop bitching about people (see men) calling their tits tits, or floppy, or staring staring at them

It's "culturally acceptable" to stare at manboobs without the man getting offended (my eyes are up here). I, as a man, have people touch my chest from time to time without giving it a second thought. If you're truly willing to level that playing field in those areas (as well as others) then absolutely, go for it. But, until then, STFU.

A female co-worker put her hand on my shoulder as we were having a conversation this morning. I had to suppress a flinch. In any other context, I would not have minded; heck, I probably would have liked it. But I'm so hard-wired to avoid any contact of any sort at work now. I'm almost positive she is not the sort that would ever file a harassment charge without a darn good reason. But these days, you can't be too careful. There's always the third-party action you have to worry about. Boobs out at work? That would be so inherently hazardous, from a legal standpoint, that I'd probably have to find a job where I don't have to work with or see anyone else.

Cousin Dave,

I appreciate your shirt-wearing attitude.

I know there is not likely to be a major change (although hopefully, there will be some movement in the ability to nurse a baby, which isn't always a discrete affair). But I still think it should be equal... equal and covered for both.