Aside from men being horny in the 1800s, and this being a holdover since that time, is there any actual reason why this hasn’t changed?
If society was dominated by women, would this be more likely to change?
I was sweating my ass off hiking in the hot sun, and the question has been bothering me all day after my top soaked through with sweat.
Tbh, I’d much prefer if no one did.
At least in very public spaces like streets.
The machines consider the human body, and especially the body’s organs related to sexual reproduction as inherently obscene.
The machine believes harm is caused by the sight of these organs and it wishes them to remain hidden under treath of state sanctions until such time as they can be removed.
Wear a mesh sports bra?
There was a movement to decriminalise women being topless (because it is actively criminalised in a lot of places). Unfortunately it’s fallen off. It’s particularly ridiculous because women are the ones who have an actual need to expose their breasts in public, ie some women need to breastfeed—no men need to.
Some people get turned on seeing topless men but it’s not a sex crime for men to be shirtless in public. Free the nipple 2025
Pretty sure breastfeeding is protected all over the US. It certainly is in Florida.
I’m not even big in that department, don’t wear a bra for yoga, but running? That needs a sport bra, and working outside I wear long sleeves to keep the sun off.
I do think beaches here should allow topless suits for women though. That might go a long way towards desexualizing simple nudity, people would get used to it. I agree that it ought not be a rule that you have to cover your boobs at all if you don’t want to.
Some people get turned on seeing topless men but it’s not a sex crime for men to be shirtless in public.
This is the thing that really bothered me. It’s so one-sided. Perhaps people won’t be comfortable doing it, for various reasons, but the legal limitation is what actually irritates me. One silver lining is that a lot of places are starting to allow it, even if culturally, it hasn’t picked up yet.
> Some people get turned on seeing topless men
If someone sees my torso and gets aroused, why is it my problem? Moreover, why is this even a problem at all?
You get hots from other people? Congratulations, you’re human.
All of this is such a non-issue. And it’s just to keep women down.
Most people haven’t had a thought since high school.
Generous. Most high schoolers I knew would never be caught thinking.
Yeah but they all did it at least once.
Probably about someone else’s body, but still.
The enlightened masses constitute a percentage of the total population far lower than you’d think
because patriarchy only sees women as sexual objects.
A matter of social acceptability in general. Some societies, moreso before Western norms became widespread, don’t view the breasts in a sexual way and a woman going topless would be completely unremarkable.
Other than the breasts, some societies see the legs as very sexual, so they always cover the legs in public.
I think it would be more likely to change in a female-dominant society, but they could just as well not change it for no obvious reason. I’m sure there’s some nuance I’m glossing over, but even though it’s legal for me to go out in my underwear as a man in a male-dominated society, I wouldn’t do so voluntarily, regardless of the temperature.
At least a little bit of it is because moving around with large breasts and no bra can be painful if they swing or flop the wrong way. I almost never see this brought up whenever this tired question gets brought up online.
Also would you rather try to lead a one (or few) woman crusade against hundreds of years of social conditioning about what’a sexual or not, while dealing with even more guys being creeps, or would you rather wear a shirt (and a bra) and a skirt and get on with your damn life? You can walk around however you want in your own place.
So they cant do something because it could negatively impact them? It’s legal to run with knives. Sounds like body policing.
They can in many areas but chose not to. So you’d have to ask them why they don’t when they can. Why aren’t they setting an example for the other areas? Like New York I believe allows women to go topless. The Empire State. Home of the biggest or at least most populous state in America and they don’t do it.
Home of the biggest or at least most populous state in America
neither, actually. the largest by area is Alaska, while the most populous is California. New York does have the most populous city though.
Weird, I thought I put city. Thanks for quoting me so I can see that’s not what I sent. Either iPhone autocorrect is worse than I thought, or I’m not as young as I used to be.
They can, but harassment from men keeps lots of women from doing so. We already get harassed when we’re covered.
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Do it
In much of Europe and North America, female toplessness is legal. As for why women don’t take advantage of it when exercising, breast movement varies from annoyance to uncomfortable and throwing off momentum depending upon size. As a result, many women exercise wearing what is most convenient: a sports-bra top. However, concerns about harassment are sadly valid.
Women are the majority of voting age adults, but they aren’t a homogeneous group voting exclusively on gender. 45% of women voted for Trump in 2024.
As a male who exercises in high heat on occasion (35-38c), I have never once thought that I’d rather be naked. I wear breathable, light colored clothing. I also wear a top. Sun burns aren’t healthy.
breast movement varies from annoyance to uncomfortable
As a teenager and young woman, not being able to find a good super supportive sports bra for my weird size was one of the reasons I stopped trying to exercise.
I still hold my boobs automatically when taking the stairs or when I run somewhere. Otherwise it hurts and feels like my breasts are being torn away from my body.
I’m sorry you gave up exercise because of this. Female friends telling me the same is what inspired me to write the response. One was an amazing long distance runner who had breast reduction surgery in high school so she could continue her passion.
Sports bras are a necessary evil for many women. It’s not a societal restriction but a physical preference for less discomfort.
Kudos to your friend going through with a reduction to pursue her passion!
In my case, I have a very small band width, so I cannot shop in regular stores. (In my city, there is exactly one shop that has my size.) As a teen and young woman, I simply didn’t have the money to even consider a 50€ sports bra, let alone a 100€+ one. And since the selection is super limited, I didn’t even find one in my size that would - no matter the money - give enough support for comfort.
Funnily enough, regular wired bras with cups still ended up giving better support than any sports bra I could find. But they still only work so well. (And I, by far, wasn’t as passionate about sports as to get a reduction, or spend my limited bra money on a semi working, ugly sports bra.)
My friend was committed, but it helped that it was not uncommon for larger endowed teens where I grew up. Doctors openly discussed the option and it was covered by government health insurance.
I can sympathize with the difficulty of finding the right size. It wasn’t until my wife traveled to her country of ancestry and measured at a department store in her 20s that she finally obtained her first bras that truly fit. They still weren’t cheap. I think that is when I learned the burden of what is, for most, a medical support garment.
And that is what I find so frustrating. Bras should be treated like a medical device: basic models that fit well should be covered by government health care. The 200-400% markup in most prices is outrageous, and there would be a positive return for society with women more confident in more activities.
Of course, I live in the United States, so we’ve regressed to the point of figuring out whether dying of communicable diseases is bad.
I’m a dude, we seldom think about these kinds of things until women bring them up then suddenly women disliking having large boobs makes a lot more sense. Sounds like a bit of a raw deal, fun to look at, terrible to own.
It’s legal where I live, but nobody does it cause women don’t wanna be stared at and cat called when they’re walking around titties out
A few women I’ve asked are happy with it being illegal - they say they just don’t want to see it. I don’t think I’ve ever met a man who wants it to stay illegal, because for the most part they do want to see it
As a guy I kinda laugh to myself about those guys who walk around without a shirt on down the street
Yeah. There’s the dudes who have spent a lot of time at the gym, and really want the opportunity to let everyone know that. Then there’s the schlubby dudes who are just feeling too hot and DGAF what anyone else thinks. Not sure who’s more worthy of respect, there
^Real answer. It’s not just men, you’d definitely get stared at by everybody lol. It’s not bad but I notice a few stares here and there just going without a bra
That’s only because it’s unusual though. If more people did it, people would stop noticing.
