xxx

The topless thread was sanitized for our protection. Talking about bare breasts in Europe is just another sign of moral decline in society.

Sara

<BR><BR>Kat, cute story.<BR><BR>A, I agree with you.<BR><BR>Something else to consider is that we all come from different cultures. This is what shapes us.<BR><BR>OK, some Americans feel uncomfortable with public nudity. So do many cultures. <BR>Europeans do feel comfortable with it.<BR><BR>The only problem I see is the refusal to respect each other's differences rather than labeling them as wrong or right.

Wanda

I have never seen the British women sunning topless in Hyde Park, or Brighton Beach.

trying

Don't forget the statuary in Europe. I don't know about Italy, but there are some nudes all over the place in Paris. And to think, they put those statutes in public parks where kids are sure to see them!!

a

Since the original thread has been deleted, I can’t refer anyone to it. But as I recollect, the lady in question, Jennie, wasn’t trying to proselytize. She was more in the position of a vegetarian who wanted to avoid eating meat, and could someone recommend a vegetarian restaurant? Her position was also analogous to that of an orthodox Jew who wanted to know if in addition to regular restaurants, were there any restaurants that served kosher?<BR><BR>I had to look up ‘prude’ in the dictionary. It means, one who is excessively concerned with proprieties. Great, I thought, does that mean Jews that eat kosher only are prudes, because they are more concerned about the ‘proprieties’ of what they eat than I am? And if I accused them of being prudes, what could they say in their defense but that their religion considers these foods unclean? Okay, one can read some implied criticism into that if one wishes, but would I not have been the agency who pushed them into saying it?<BR><BR>And would I not be wasting my time, at the very least, by saying something along the lines of, “now, don’t be so uptight, everyone in Europe eats pork and shellfish, so just get over it and chow down that lobster? Try it, you’ll like it! ”<BR><BR>When it comes to some things, you can take someone out of the land of their beliefs, but it is unreasonable to demand that they leave their beliefs behind. One can only take this ‘when in Rome’ business so far.<BR>

Donal_Rumsfeld

All exposed "personal" body parts should be draped, including statues. Next question ...

unsuitable

She didn't want to take them to those beaches that were un"suit"able - - only those that were fully two-piece-suit-able.<BR><BR>But on another note, I think that the thread was deleted for very obvious reasons. The language got way unsuitable for the family channel Fodors wants to maintain here. Contained language like "cavorting".<BR>

anon

Like John Ashcroft who spent $8,000 of taxpayers money for a curtain to hide the statue Justice (?) who had one (not 2) bare breast. <BR>Silly little man....

peter

after i stopped convulsing over this topless issue i wondered what would happen if one were to discuss the early greek and roman statues of men with god forbid their penises visible- look out ww3 is about to start.

sam

I wonder what this women will do when she sees the topless models bearing all in French advertising in the Metro and stores.

Capo

Did that thread get too randy and get pulled? Aw shucks. I alway enjoy the toplessness topic because I find it be a positive progressive attitude in European countries, to let women make up their own minds at the beach. <BR><BR>As for the question that was asked, if it was possible to avoid toplessness (i.e. women's bare breasts) on Cote d'Azur beaches, while I understand why a non-smoker would want to avoid smoke, and understand why a vegetarian would want to avoid meat (a comparison "a" mentioned), I guess I just don't understand WHY people want to avoid seeing -- or make sure their children avoid seeing -- bare breasts. <BR><BR>I mean, I can see the harm in smoke, and meat (or too much of it anyway), but where's the harm in bare breasts? How is seeing them at the beach bad for children? European children must see them at the beach and I don't believe they're any worse than American children.

honey

I doubt that they think it's 'bad' for their kids to see topless women, but there are other issues. For example, taking a pubescent boy to a topless beach for the first time, might cause him serious embarassement, if you get my drift. If they aren't accustomed to it, it might make the kids and parents very uncomfortable. I'm not saying that's right or wrong, but just as you have to accept that the Europeans go topless, you should accept that other nationalities (not just Americans!) don't. Whether or not it would be better for Americans to be more open-minded on the subject really isn't the question. The thread was from one person, and whether or not she takes her kids to a topless beach isn't going to change the rest of America and maybe not even her and her family.

zeka

I was somehow laughing about this discussion.<BR><BR>From my experience, the US was a real cultural schock. I never thought that "western" people had such a different atitude to normal aspects of life. I always thought that normal/standard European behaviour was fully accepted in the US. Well: I was wrong.<BR><BR>3 years ago we went (with my wife and my 4 year old daughter)for 10 days to Florida (Miami down to key West, and back). I will share with you 2 things that really astonished/schocked me:<BR>1. On a beach in one of the Keys (I guess it was Marathon) a liitle girl came up to us and asked if my daughter has lost her top...(!?) Later talking to her mother, we had to hear that it was not decent that a girl goes around without her top... "Gee: she was 4 years old.... What's the matter with these guys?" I was speechless.<BR><BR>2. Even worst: On the day before our departure we awere staying on this Hotel in Miami (we stayed there 4 nights). We have been on the beach and went back to the hotel restaurant (just a couple of meters away) for lunch. As I finished lunch, my daughter asked to go to the toilet, to what my wife asked me if i could take her, as she had not finished lunch... BIG MISTAKE:<BR>As I had just passed the bar (where the lady knew us already) and got in the ladies toilet with my daughter... this lady started screaming as I had killed someone. Already inside the ladies toilet she told me that I had to leave immeadiately... What an embarassing situation... Everyone at the bar looking at me as I had really done something that could place me in jail.<BR>I just asked her: Well, how van I take my daughter to the toilet ? Definetly the ladies toilet is more appropriate as everything is closed. To what she answered that I could not take her either to the men's toilet (!!!!!).<BR>She would take her, if I wanted... There I exploded (probably my South-European blood could not take it anymore): You guys are sick, there must be a lot of pervert in this country if you take these concerns. End of the story: Mum had to go with her.<BR><BR>This was a truly negative impression I got from the US... And I could not resist it sharing it with you.<BR><BR>P.S. I have been travelling allover Europe with my family, and whenver a similar situation occurs it is the most normal thing od the world (and I am not alone, I am not the only father travelling with kids, and sometimes alone) <BR>

xxx

The original poster was whinning that she couldn't take her family to France to visit the beaches due to toplessness and was looking of another country beaches to visit. GEE, we cant go to France because they bare their breasts on the beach boohooo!!the original poster needs to get a life and quite worrying about what others are doing. The Dutch have a great attitude "Mind your own business"

Cristina

Bravo Al Gordon!! You are 100% right!!!!!!

honey

Oh Zeka! That's so bad!! But I'm still laughing about it! It's all very true, but one must accept that people in other countries do things differently. That's just how it is, how it always has been and always will be. That's why it's important to read up on where you're going so that you are aware of the BIG cultural differences. Granted, not allowing a 4 year old girl on the beach topless is pretty stupid, but what can I say? That lady was way out of line and should have kept her mouth shut. As an American, I would've known that and told the cow to mind her own business!

Chris

When the original poster went on about "adult behavior" and how she didn't want to take her children to topless beaches because, after all, she didn't take them to Las Vegas, into casinos or drink in their presence (although it was ok that other parents did), I went into overdrive. <BR><BR>Did she deserve to get slammed like she was? No, but the tone of her post was preachy (which I had "let go" as not being worth it). Then when she added the post about things like not taking kids to Las Vegas or the Moulin Rouge (equating topless beaches to topless entertainment), I couldn't NOT respond.<BR><BR>And up to the point I had read, I thought the post was interesting -- and informative. I'm sure there are other people who feel the same way as that poster -- or were at the very least wondering how it all "works" at European beaches. Bottom line, it's not a big deal -- and I'm sure there are some people who did read that post who had some reservations about it had something more to think about. It took some looking around at the beaches in Nice for the lightbulb to go off in my head -- no one except the Americans care that women are topless!!<BR><BR>And about those ads in France -- I would cut out the ads from the French magazines and find the same ones in American ones just to compare. Those American ads are a lesson in airbrushing...

ilovetits

I want tits!!!!!!!!!!everywhere at the beach, in the store,on tv, oooppppps forgot already get to see plenty of tits on cable....

mh

the above post is indicative of my belief that the internet is most populated with users who are 13 year old horny little boys...Johny, shouldn't you be listening to your Britney Spears CD's?

Uncle Sam

Just a couple of points:<BR><BR>1. Most women that bathe topless on the beaches in Europe...shouldn't!<BR><BR>2. Interesting that some attack a person's religious beliefs so quickly!<BR><BR>3. In case you're interested, men and women are different. Men are sexually stimulated visually, women are for the most part not sexually stimulated in that manner. Now what a woman wants to show on the beach is up to her, but whether right or worng, it does sexually stimulate men. So ladies (and I use that term loosely)...deal with it!