In 1991, Gwen Jacob, a university student from Canada, was arrested for walking down the street topless.
It was 33 degrees (Celsius — that’s 91 Fahrenheit for you Yanks) and men were taking off their shirts to cool down. Gwen decided to do the same. Someone complained, and she was arrested. The judge told her that breasts were “sexually stimulating to men” and shouldn’t be exposed. She was found guilty.
Recognizing it as a double standard, she appealed the case and changed the law.
Women in Ontario, Canada, gained the legal right to be topless in public. Since then, not one Canadian woman has been charged for doing so.
Do Canadian women walk around topless all the time? Not that I’ve seen.
There’s still the whole “people are going to judge me” factor. But as times change and the temperature climbs, I wouldn’t be surprised if more women exercised their right.
Women are determined to change topless laws in the U.S. too. They can still get arrested in certain states.
Here’s the “titillating” trailer for the new film, “Free the Nipple” which is inspired by true events:
Liv Tyler, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Michelle Rodriguez, Scout Willis, and many other celebs have come out in support of “Free the Nipple.”
