[ Outline ] · Standard · Linear+ Topless Beaches, OK or not?

[Lynette]

As many of you already know, I grew up in a place where women being topless on a beach was no big deal. Almost everywhere I've been outside the US, it's that way too. Personally, except when I was in the US for school and such, I've never worn a top on any beach. Here on the isalnd where I live women walk up and down the beaches topless all the time. Nobody except maybe overly religious types seem to mind.
I could never understand why Americans seem to think boobs are such a bad thing when the rest of the world seems to be open to admiring them even in public. In the states, if a guy walks up to you on the beach and says "nice breasts" (even with a top on) most women will act genuinely pissed or embarrassed. Here, women just say thank you, take it as a compliment, and go on their way.
So, is being topless on public beaches a good thing? Bad thing? Or, what?And.why does American society seem to think it's so bad? Is it because when the English people(religious based puritans) who left England and settled in America brought all those old religious based principles with them? And to this day they've stuck? If so, it seems a shame that after two hundred years, American society hasn't been able to shed something like the sight of some bare breasts on a beach is a bad thing.
*KIISES*

[Lynette]

Guys, guys, guys... All of a suden we're talking about child molesters, sexual perditors, etc. Geeze! We're talking about grown women on the beach without a bathing suit top on NOT children. Although, I can even remember how many times I've seen small chilren being allowed to frolic on a beach without any suit on. It's totally innocent and the beach should never be considered as a haven for child molesters. Generally the parents are right there to supervise. I fail to see how the subject of anything sexual should even have a place in this discussion. If the government were to make "TOPLESS" sunbathing legal (not nude sunbathing) I'm sure it wouls be a shock and cause some disturbance at first. But, after a short period of time, it wouldn't be anymore objectionalbe than othr parts of the world. Canada has been brought up as an example... it's a good place to start. I've heard about women being top-free there at will in various location. NOTHING bad happens because of it. They're just boobs, that's all. And, that's all they'd be on any beach in the states. I'm on beaches here all the time topless infront of visiting teenage tourist boys, and I doubt that the sight of my bare tits on the beach are going to (or have) caused any of them to come down with any type of negative, sexual, or emotional problems. They pass by and look shyly. That's about it. Some sneak a quick snapshot with their camera (but so do their dads LOL) No harm, no foul. To them it's a unique sight. THAT'S the key! A "unique" sight. If it were made commonplace in America... it wouldn't be unique at all. It would be (dare I say it?)--- NORMAL. To equate boobs on a beach with all kinds of sexual pervertions is just wrond (in my humble opinion).

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[diane26]

Guys, guys, guys... All of a suden we're talking about child molesters, sexual perditors, etc. Geeze! We're talking about grown women on the beach without a bathing suit top on NOT children. Although, I can even remember how many times I've seen small chilren being allowed to frolic on a beach without any suit on. It's totally innocent and the beach should never be considered as a haven for child molesters. Generally the parents are right there to supervise. I fail to see how the subject of anything sexual should even have a place in this discussion. If the government were to make "TOPLESS" sunbathing legal (not nude sunbathing) I'm sure it wouls be a shock and cause some disturbance at first. But, after a short period of time, it wouldn't be anymore objectionalbe than othr parts of the world. Canada has been brought up as an example... it's a good place to start. I've heard about women being top-free there at will in various location. NOTHING bad happens because of it. They're just boobs, that's all. And, that's all they'd be on any beach in the states. I'm on beaches here all the time topless infront of visiting teenage tourist boys, and I doubt that the sight of my bare tits on the beach are going to (or have) caused any of them to come down with any type of negative, sexual, or emotional problems. They pass by and look shyly. That's about it. Some sneak a quick snapshot with their camera (but so do their dads LOL) No harm, no foul. To them it's a unique sight. THAT'S the key! A "unique" sight. If it were made commonplace in America... it wouldn't be unique at all. It would be (dare I say it?)--- NORMAL. To equate boobs on a beach with all kinds of sexual pervertions is just wrond (in my humble opinion).

Lynette with all due respect when wanting a discussion on the topic at hand be prepared for all types of discussion on it.

You do not know what is on the mind of every person at the beach, you also seem to love attention so your views on things going on might be differant than someone else simply wanting to tan without tan lines. The discussion was brought up about the beaches nothing was said about ONLY WOMAN so of course as a mother I am gonna worry about children.

As a child that was molested by three differant men by the time I was 11 and my ((non existent)) breasts were also fondled. I tend to be very aware of how sick people can be especially those you would least suspect. There are differant stages of children and what may be innocent and what might not be so innocent for others around. The great part of a discussion is to see the many views on a subject regardless if we agree or not.

[Lynette]

Lynette with all due respect when wanting a discussion on the topic at hand be prepared for all types of discussion on it.

You do not know what is on the mind of every person at the beach, you also seem to love attention so your views on things going on might be differant than someone else simply wanting to tan without tan lines. The discussion was brought up about the beaches nothing was said about ONLY WOMAN so of course as a mother I am gonna worry about children.

As  a child that was molested by three differant men by the time I was 11 and my ((non existent)) breasts were also fondled. I tend to be very aware of how sick people can be especially those you would least suspect. There are differant stages of children  and what may be innocent and what might not be so innocent for others around. The great part of a discussion is to see the many views on a subject regardless if we agree or not.

Diane,
I am truly sorry to hear about your experiences as a young girl. That kind if thing can never be justified. From the sound of it, you've never been topless on a beach. However, I was talking about what people's notion of what effect seeing naked boobs on the beach might have on children. It's been my experience that children on the beach don't even notice a topless woman (they're usually too busy playing). And when they do, and call thier mother's attention to it, and she says something like "yes, there is isn't there" things go on as normal. It's only a big deal if the adults make it one. I guess I fail to see how women being topless on a beach directly puts children (of any age) in harms-way. This seems to just perpetuate some wierd kind of thought process that ties SEX into everything in modern society.
And, you are right. I certainly do like attention now and then. I'll admit it, even if some women won't. And, I DO prefer to not have tan lines, and always have (call it a cultural thing). But, like I said before on this thread... I was raised in a part of the world where being topless on the beach is a perfectly natural thing, where people generally don't even give it a second look. I'm just trying to get opinions here to clarify why people believe that being topless on the beach is such a bad thing. So far it sounds like America is totally infested with bad people, child molesters, pererts of all kinds, and deviant behaior. Sorry, but I lived in Los Angeles for quite a few years and I don't agree. America is a great place (with it's problems, it's true), but to a person from another country reading this thread, the United States would sound like a very unpleasent place to live.
Please try to keep in mind that anything said in this this (or any other) thread is just my own personal opinion. I'm not trying to preach to anyone, nor am I attempting to push my beliefs off on other people. So, "with all due respect", I'm just trying to get peoples opinions on this subject so that I can better understand what Americans are so uptight about this subject. And, judging by some of the responces here, there are some genuine and obvious personal feelings about it.