As I began to write this piece as a “Denver Bucket List”, I realized there was one thing on my list I couldn’t stop thinking about: Going Topless.
Female toplessness is not a new movement. There was even a topless female band in the United States in the 1960s, “The Ladybirds”. Google it. However, the laws regarding toplessness are not well known. Colorado has no state laws against female toplessness. In fact, Boulder, Colorado is listed on GoTopless.org as “topless tested”.
While there are no local ordinances in Denver against women going topless, it still appears tabooby (tehe). I have lived in Colorado since middle school and have yet to see a topless female strolling the streets. Topless females might be a rare find because officers can write tickets for vague crimes like “disorderly conduct” instead. Or, because certain places can have their own laws on the movement (i.e. private campuses, such as DU).
Even though I came up with this bucket list item, I would have trouble finding the lady balls to complete it. Being topless is not a societal norm! But I think the question is: Why are there different societal norms for men and women when it comes to exposing their nipples in public? The slow changes in public nudity and indecent exposure laws across the country is a big deal for women in desexualizing the female body and I don’t think it should go unnoticed.
After the documentary Free The Nipple was released addressing female toplessness, a whole movement has sparked. #FreeTheNipple is a growing campaign for female equality, especially aimed at decriminalizing the female body, backwards censorship laws, and breastfeeding in public. And while I realize a lot of college girls aren’t worried about breastfeeding laws, think about this: no more weird tan lines.
The movement is supported by celebrities and graffiti artists, as well as men and women across the country. It is a huge deal that Colorado is one of the states where it is legal to be topless. If you don’t feel comfortable crossing off this bucket list item alone, there is a National Go-Topless Day, observed as the Sunday closest to Women’s Equality Day. Save the date : August 23, 2015. Denver will have a demonstration in City Park at 2 P.M.
Buy hey, if you don’t feel comfortable demonstrating or backing this particular movement, maybe start with some tasteful side boob at the Border next weekend. Or, just keep reading Her Campus as a way to support female empowerment.