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.
Where I am it is frowned upon with men going topless in public spaces unless it is a beach or some private area or they are doing heavy work in particularly hot weather and not just regular spring or summer. It is tolerated but barely so that men are running or exercising without a shirt. Women with just a sport bra or even a bikini top are quite common though, both in exercise and even in town. Personally I think it is equally tacky to be undressed like that regardless of gender, but I’m not really bothered enough to care. It would be considered very rude and sexist to comment on a women in bikini top to dress up though, unless it was upon entry to a space or venue where people are expected to wear appropriate clothes. Clubs tolerate women in barely tops but would not accept a man bare chested.
In business it is expected that men are fully dressed and buttoned to regardless the temperature while women can wear whatever clean and neat that is not showing off too much skin. In casual situations women can have any amount of cleavage but if a man buttons down the shirt so that the top hairs of his chest are showing it is an open invitation for ridicule for trying to be macho even if it is obviously for trying to cool down in 35°C weather. Unbuttoning a shirt all the way is a definitive no-no unless you’re a teen or a country bumpkin.
On beaches anybody can be wearing anything though on regular beaches some sort of bottoms are mandatory. From tiny string bottoms only to shorts or swimming suit to burqini. In “proper” sauna you are not allowed swimsuits or shorts at all for hygiene reasons but in public sauna they are mandatory.
So, you see, it is not binary good and bad and humans and society is more complicated than men horny.
Because of creeps, freaks, and prudes
As a cis male, I’m totally in favor of this idea.
In fact, I went to school in Germany and I was throwing a frisbee with some friends in the park. It was a beautiful summer day, which was rare, and I retrieved the disc that landed near an attractive young lady sunning herself topless. I still think of her fondly.
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 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.
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.
Religions ocntrol sexuality to achieve greater control over society. So, there’s a massive religious stigma to topless women. Mostly religious men and women want to keep women covered up.
Older women don’t like younger women showing their breasts, due to normal aging. As long as relatively older women have more power than younger women, they’ll keep the topless stigma in place.
I don’t want to be horny all the time seeing women’s breasts all the time, not because of religion, quite the opposite. And I didn’t really choose to find women’s breasts sexual. 🤷♂️ I dunno.
I would prefer if men didn’t do that either.
I think everyone should be allowed to go shirtless. They ain’t hurting nobody. Also, I would if I had a fit body to show off.
Everyone should be allowed to, but i also wish they wouldn’t. Not a fan of nipples in public.
“Nipples in Public” is a great punk name from north west Wales, iirc.
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You can learn self-control.
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Ooh that doesn’t sound nice, you shouldn’t be hurting yourself.
I’m suggesting you learn [train yourself] to be in the presence of women comfortably without even having to worry about getting an erection. It makes it a lot easier to get to know women.
But if you want a men’s only gym there’s plenty of hole-in-the-wall places called “Iron Pounders” or something like that. At-home weights are also widely available.
Yeah I’m setting up an at home gym slowly, the local gym is new and really nice tho, was men only without wanting to be for 4 years, randomly shifted and now its 50/50
Seems you have a plan. Good luck!
K
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The taboo is starring/oggling or catcalling a stranger. If you look people in the eyes/face and don’t linger then no one is going to care except people who would have been a bother in any case.
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Yeah anxiety sucks ass. Speaking from personal and recent experience my suggestion is ACT (or CBT) therapy if that’s an option for you.
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
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.
Afaik they can. At least in NM.
So are there topless women everywhere in NM?
