I have mixed feelings about this event but first let me give you a little history. Go Topless Day was founded in 2007 as a day that is meant to promote fairness and equality between the sexes. Men are free to be topless as they are splashing around at the beach, jogging with their dogs at the park or flying a frisbee with a buddy. Basically almost any outdoor environment allows men to walk around topless.
Toplessness for women is a different story. Women are free to be topless in the privacy of their own homes, in locker rooms, spas, and um...well, topless bars. Women who want to be topless in areas that men are topless is in many cases illegal. Illegal.
Women and men alike are able to celebrate Go Topless Day. The event welcomes men in an attempt to assist them in understanding that nudity doesn't always equate to the intent to arouse. The website asserts that men are perfectly capable of controlling sexual impulses as they do when they see a woman wearing revealing clothing.
In other words it is possible to respect women as they are topless and it is possible to avoid arousal when women are topless.
Here's a little promo video from the website. A bit silly and cheesy but it gets its point across. Get ready to some some bare chests.
Ok, so as promised I will offer my two cents. I do agree that women have the right to go topless. Would I do it myself? No. But why? I would feel uncomfortable because the act is not natural to me. It is not natural because as a woman, public toplessness has always been forbidden.
And while I believe that it is certainly possible for men to view topless women and not find themselves aroused, it is simply not the culture I have grown up in.
Like so many things, general views on sexuality are influenced by environment. If I were to visit certain parts of Europe I might witness women sunning on a nude beach. If I were to visit certain parts of Africa I might witness women walking around half naked.
I don't doubt that many will argue that biologically speaking, it is almost impossible for heterosexual men to avoid arousal when witnessing a topless woman. My view is that if we were used to seeing women walk around topless, the issue of arousal might not always be an issue.
Most women know what it is like to be on the receiving end of cat calls. I do not believe that National Topless Day is an event that is meant to invite more hoots and hollers. If I were to venture a guess, I'd say that the women who march on NTD would like to be free to let it all hang out without objectification.
Men are capable of objectifying women (and yes, women objectify men but that has little to do with the topic of this post) whether they are wearing a bikini or a turtle neck. But men are also capable of refraining from objectifying women.
There is nothing wrong with sexual attraction however, there is this myth that men just cannot help but objectify women. Pasadena City College, gender studies professor, Hugo Schwyzer, would say that "the myth of male weakness" suggests that "boys will be boys" or that "Well, I'm a guy, what do you expect?" The myth suggests that men are hardwired to stare at women, to continually lust after women, to view pornography, to sexually assault women. This is a cop-out and a theory that allows men to feel that they are let off the hook. Some men may very well feel that they cannot help themselves. Well, don't believe everything you think. *Insert wink here*
A conscientious man might want to explore this concept a bit more. I am no biologist but for all you travelers out there, my guess is that you have witnessed varying styles of objectification or lack there of, based on culture.
If a man is to send a cat call my way, I am in no way responsible for his attraction to me. That is all on him. The cat caller apparently knows what he's attracted to (Or not as some cat call just to do so. Just to express their "manliness" or to bond with other men) and if he is attracted to me so be it. However, I will not insult men by buying into the idea that men can't help but lust when they see an attractive woman.
I can understand how women and men alike (gay, straight) might be distracted or caught off guard by a topless woman. I think it's safe to say that many of us are intrigued and/or fascinated by the human body. I believe however, that there is a distinct difference between observing, even appreciating and lusting.
What about gay women? If we go with the "testosterone rules all" theory, are we to think that gay women are less likely to objectify other women because they lack high levels of testosterone?
When I was in college and dwelling in dorms, I lived down the hall from a lesbian woman who raved about Michigan's Womyn's Music Festival. She herself was from Michigan and she looked forward to the music fest each year. She would show me photos that she took at the festival and many of them were chalk full of topless, gay women.
My friend informed me that the majority of attendees were gay and there was actually a counseling group for straight women as they were the minority.
I asked my friend how she felt about the abundance of bare breasts around her. She said that at times she would find herself attracted to what she saw but often it was just something that felt natural and uniting. An event that only allowed women and an event that flowed with the vibe of acceptance.
On several occasions this Summer I have blogged about SlutWalk. SlutWalk is an event that was birthed from a sexist statement made by a Toronto police officer. On Janurary, 24th, 2011, a Toronto policeman reported that "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order to not be victimized." The event has spread worldwide. Women and men are marching with hand held signs in protest against sexual violence. They march against the idea that because a woman is wearing revealing clothing she is some how inviting sexual assault. Most recently the event has made its way to West Africa where sexual assault and rape is prevalent.
I'd like to think that the majority of us folks are logical in that we understand that no woman is "asking for it" or "deserves what she got." Unfortunately, I am not confident that we logic minded folks are the majority.
One of my concerns is that those who believe that a woman is actually "asking for it" (sexual assault) when she wears revealing clothing, is also "asking for it" when she participates in an event like Go Topless Day. Or that she is inviting stares and cat calls when she is sunbathing topless in an area that legally allows such an activity to take place.
Sure there may be some women who seek attention from others by dressing in a certain way, but this does not include all women. How are we to know which women are seeking attention and which aren't? It doesn't matter.
If a topless woman were to walk past me or even if I were attending a Go Topless Day celebration where I was surrounded by women joining in camaraderie, I would be staring at the breasts before me. That would be my initial response. But just as I suggested a conscientious man can pause for a moment and consider what is actually taking place, so can I.
The culture we live in is the way it is. I don't expect us to break the mold in an instant. But I think that Go Topless Day at the very least is thought provoking. Don't you?
I think the women (and men) who participate in Go Topless Day are making a statement (duh). They are brave enough to be that ripple in the pond. It is these ripples that influence others on a micro and macro level.
If you are reading this post, perhaps your initial reaction included disbelief, a roll of the eyes and expletives. Or perhaps you thought..."Hmmm..." It is activism like Go Topless Day that encourages dialogue, that garners traffic, changes opinion and even influences public policy.
Currently there are several cities that legally allow female toplessness. These cities include, Asheville, NC, Austin, TX, Boulder, CO, Columbus, OH, Eugene, OR, Keen, NH, Key West, FL (at Fantasy Fair), Madison, WI, New Orelans, LA (at Mardi Gras), Portland, OR, Sante Fe, NM, South Miami Beach, FL (on the beach), and Washington, DC.
The female Go Topless Day goers have way more guts than I do. I don't have the courage to march up and down the street with my top off. I am one of those people who would fear objectification from men, even though I believe that it is possible that men can look without lusting. It is possible, but I know that there is an abundance of men out there who have no interest in denying the myth of male weakness. Many men (and women) are swimming in it.
The National Go Topless Day website is asking that we sign a petition in favor of female toplessness. The goal is to obtain a supreme court ruling in favor of women's constitutional right to be topless in public. The Go Topless organization seeks to reach this goal by 2021 which will be the 50th anniversary of Women's Equality Day.
To sign the petition click here.
To learn more about National Topless Day visit the official website here.
To visit the official National Topless Day facebook page click here.
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