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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

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Original poster

Topless Walks

27 replies

junobaby74 · 20/09/2013 11:11

Has anyone ever heard of these Topless Walks that they are holding in some US cities - Seattle and San Francisco to name two? The women involved in them are protesting that if men are allowed to walk around in public topless then so should women. Also that if men cover up then so will women. Are these women passionate about equality between men and women or just a bunch of exhibitionists wanting to get their tits out? I'd be really interested to hear what other people think. Cheers.

OP posts:

oinktopus · 20/09/2013 11:21

I have a friend in Portland, which is a very left-wing and hippyish kind of city and they do a nude bicycle ride every year. They just do it for a bit of a giggle. San Fran and Seattle have a similarish ethos so I'd guess some are doing it because they want to, but that if they can draw attention to women's issues too, it's a bonus.

meekenough · 20/09/2013 11:48

imo its sounds like a bunch of exhibitionists wanting to get ogled for an afternoon behind the veil of 'for a good cause'
Maybe they could do some voluntary work to help victims of DV something actually worthwhile.

SinisterSal · 20/09/2013 11:50

I don't have much time for this sort of activism tbh.

But each to their own

Original poster

junobaby74 · 20/09/2013 11:54

Yes maybe. I'm just puzzled by it though. I can never imagine thinking " gosh I'm really cheesed off by men being allowed to take their tops off in public, oh I know to express my anger I'll go on a walk and take my top off too". Aren't there more important issues in society to get riled about than men not having shirts on? Hence my question: are they just doing it to get (male) attention? Totally get the slut walks though!

OP posts:

meekenough · 20/09/2013 12:05

the slutwalks are another, annoying ridiculous waste of time.

put your clothes on, put the sign down , go and do some youth work on rape myths etc if the message is that important to you.

Plus, people dress in horrifically skimpy clothes now on a daily basis much more than in the past, I see people up norf' practically bra's and pants in this season, do they look empowered? or a a good combination of silly, cold and desperate for an ogle?. Niether will help anyone on any meaningful level.

BuffytheReasonableFeminist · 20/09/2013 13:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ModeratelyObvious · 20/09/2013 13:28

I'm fairly sure that the majority of women participating in this aren't doing it just to get male attention or because they are a bunch of exhibitionists wanting to get their tits out.

You can disagree with the method, you can disagree whether "topless for both" is a worthy goal but to say this is nothing but a cunning way to show off one's b

ModeratelyObvious · 20/09/2013 13:29

I'm fairly sure that the majority of women participating in this aren't doing it just to get male attention or because they are a bunch of exhibitionists wanting to get their tits out.

You can disagree with the method, you can disagree whether "topless for both" is a worthy goal but to say this is nothing but a cunning way to show off one's boobs is very dismissive.

NiceTabard · 20/09/2013 18:44

There was a prog on a while back about a group of young nudists. One of the girls in that group was pissed off that women are required to cover their chests in public but not women and went to a shopping centre and wandered around with her top off. Police came sharpish and threatened arrest unless she put her top on.

For her it was a genuine passionate belief that it's just skin and why the fuck should she have to keep her top on when men don't as there's nothing "obscene" about breasts.

The assumption that it's a bunch of attention seekers is not on IMO, no reason that these women are genuinely pissed off at what they see as an unacceptable law about women's bodies. Not something I'd go in for but each to their own and actually I'd far rather have loads of boobs out around the place in a non sexualised / ordinary women type manner than what we have at the moment which is all the normal ones kept under wraps while sexualised images of often surgically enhanced breasts in teeny underwear are plastered all over the place.

BelleDameSansMerci · 20/09/2013 18:49

What NiceTabard said. All of it.

BasilBabyEater · 20/09/2013 19:19

Yes another vote for NiceTabard.

TheWomanTheyCallJayne · 20/09/2013 19:21

I would prefer to get men to put their tops on

ubik · 20/09/2013 19:28

Indeed - I would wholeheartedly endorse a "Glasgow, Just because it's reached 15 degrees and there is some watery sunshine it doesn't give you licence to tuck your shirt in your back pocket and start on the bevy"

BuffytheReasonableFeminist · 20/09/2013 20:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Isoscelesnorks · 20/09/2013 22:10

Another vote for the desexualisation of breasts in public here. I don't see why it's ok to have them half hanging out of a skimpy top on a hot day but not ok to have it mostly hidden behind a babies head while breast feeding.

I don't understand why man-boobs are acceptable when some women are about the same size but are not able to have them out.

meekenough · 21/09/2013 00:29

I'm entitled to my opinion and although some are there for good reasons there are also and will always be a lot of exhibitionists, I'm not wrong plenty exist.

FrigginRexManningDay · 21/09/2013 08:12

Sexualised boobs are fine,expected and welcomed,but only if they are sexy,none of this feeding babies or not erect nipples nonsense. Its that attitude that makes me despair and I can absolutely see the point of the topless walkers. However it will be turned into excibitionist women showing tits blah blah because they can't see beyond it.

KaseyM · 21/09/2013 09:32

I don't think the point is that men can walk around topless whilst women can't, but that they can do it without judgement.

Also I think the more we were exposed to the broad variety of real breasts the less fetishisation there would be about pneumatic looking breasts.

I bet the cultures where women let it all hang out think we're a bunch of uptight loonies and wonder what the fuss is about.

BuffytheReasonableFeminist · 21/09/2013 09:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LynetteScavo · 21/09/2013 09:50

Everyone should keep their tops on, men or women. What ubik said.

LynetteScavo · 21/09/2013 09:53

I don't understand why man-boobs are acceptable

They really are not!

The law really does need to be changed to reflect this.

meekenough · 21/09/2013 10:24

Surely thats best done through sex education at an early age though? Kasey

Walking around a street with your tits hanging out will do little in that respect.

EmmelineGoulden · 21/09/2013 10:45

Walking around the streets without breasts out, if lots of women did it regularly, will do pretty much everything towards normalizing real breasts. Sex education at an early age isn't a bad thing, but it won't overcome the media messages that breasts are sexualised on its own.

WoTmania · 21/09/2013 11:12

Agree with NiceTabard.

SinisterSal · 21/09/2013 11:49

this thread is reminding me of the Niqab thread.

Both issues are about social norms and modesty. I guess for most people the two align. I woinder about 'choice'

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