Topless

As summer heat drives millions to the beaches of the world the question and quiet discomforts surface once more. As a young woman the question and pressures return, to go topless or not? A recent article in the BBC Magazine suggests that these days more and more women are choosing to keep their tits in the tops at the beach. This trend is interpreted as evidence of the increasing failures of feminism to liberate women and allow them the equal freedom men enjoy when they doff their tops in the summer sun.

The article claims women feel sexualized and "stared at" when they go topless, attention they feel is demeaning, unfair and sexists (directed at them just because they are women). Therefore choose to remain covered. But ladies...let's be fair: when a guy with a nice body doffs his top don't you stare? Don't you sexualize him? Don't you think "mmm yummy"? Further when an fat old construction worker does it don't you sexually evaluate him too thinking yuck, hide that gut, cover that hair... we don't just sexualize women but all people. When given the opportunity to evaluate them in their natal state, we unthinking, instantly respond with these evaluations. We assess and make predictions about their virility and quality for breeding.

I don't want to make it sound as though all we do is spend our days thinking about who to mate with, but for brief moments now and then when given appropriate stimuli...of course we do.

So why are more women keeping their tits in their tops. Perhaps they think they look better there. Many swim suits are accessorized to make you look more colourful and attractive. Often tops are padded making breasts look larger and holding them on top of the chest giving them a more appealing shape. Perhaps women feel they don't need to reveal everything about themselves to the world when they just want to enjoy some sun at the beach. Perhaps it's true that women are simple responding to social pressures to keep themselves covered. Perhaps our generation has accepted what our feminist mothers tried to throw off, that women are just different, play different roles, accept a different place in our society with different expectations and rules...

Whatever the reason for the current trend it is not reason to ban toplessness, it should be an available freedom. For many women its is not a necessary practice. Just because it isn't necessary doesn't mean it needs to be banned. You know... like for many people drinking coffee isn't a necessary practice, doesn't mean it should be banned, or eating dogs...just because lots of people don't do it, doesn't mean we need to ban it, some people still enjoy it from time to time.