In theory, women have the right to go topless, but for a myriad reasons we just don't. Hence “Go Topless Day” events occurred in 45 cities recently. But a march in Vancouver simply led to voyeurism, with people whipping out tablets and smartphones to ogle the flesh on display.
According to an article in the National Post, crowds even had to be warned to back off a bit as the women convened on the stairs at the city's art gallery.
Though a spokesperson talked about the need to separate "nudity from sexuality," if the march was anything to go by, we are still a long way from that distinction. Yes, on hot humid days women ought to enjoy the same (topless) rights as men. But for now at least, the sight of a topless woman remains a spectacle.
Even the mayor of Kelowna, B.C., found himself distracted recently when the women’s rights activist and blogger Lori Welbourne removed her top partway through an interview.
Interestingly, the mayor admitted that just because a woman can go topless "doesn’t mean she should because her actions may be distracting to others."
Do you agree? Are we too puritanical a nation to embrace public toplessness?
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