What is the legal reason women are not allowed topless in public?

Question

Does it differ from state to state? Where can I find the law?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Because local standards of decency and such prevent it. I cannot think of a single state that allows it, though there are places in California and Florida (beaches) that do not enforce it.

Try "topless beach" in a Google search and see what you get.

Answer 2

I don't know if it is still good law in NYS, but 10 or so years ago the highest state court said that women could not be prevented from being topless on the beach.

There may also be a nude beach in NJ by Sandy Hook, though I am not sure if that's true.

I am unaware of any Federal case law regarding toplessness. It's probably left to local community standards.

Answer 3

You can find a good listing of the laws by state here:

http://www.nac.oshkosh.net/StatesFrames/state_laws_and_legislation.html

As for the reasons why, our puritanical society has decided that nudity and sex are the same. It really has become a powerful marketing tool because advertisers can push the envelope in selling sex. If nudity were not equated with sex, it would not be a very good marketing tool. As another person stated above, many parts of the world do not have this obsession with nudity. In Great Britain, the newspaper shows a topless woman every day.

Answer 4

There are different laws for each sate.

To look up the law go to a search engine such as Google or Yahoo and place in the search box +topless Law+ (name of state).

Answer 5

Greetings. is no legal reason just religious prejudice. Here in Maine we had a big thing about topless lawn mowing. woman would mow her lawn without a top. neighbors got all up tight. decency law. we murder civilians daily in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet we have decency laws to ban being topless women here? Good idea. Maybe the Burka will be required next to satisfy the religious turkeys. When I lived in Michigan in the upper peninsula we had a really hot summer and the female students at the university in Sault Ste. Marie decided that if the male students could go without upper clothing, they were sweating as bad as the males, so they should be allowed to do the same. I cannot tell why the religious fanatics that make so many of our laws are so upset about human female breasts. after all that is one of the first things that humans as babies actually get to see after they are born and their eyes begin focusing. their mothers breast. what is to be ashamed of about it? But then maybe our law makers are all homosexual males? that would explain why they fear the female breast at least. envy. Note, historically hiding the female breast was not always immoral. at one time it was considered fashion to have women have one breast exposed totally in the fancy dress's they wore. that lasted until a flat chested queen was the ruler then the fashion died.

Answer 6

It's considered public lewdness. A woman's breasts are considered to be an intimate body part and to expose them in public is illegal. But there is a fine line that is drawn and many people find offense to woman bearing them in public. It even goes as far as a woman breast feeding her infant in public!!! Yes! Something as natural as that can find a woman a hefty fine in most states. As disturbing as that...women are expected to find a private space to nurse...like a bathroom! It's an issue that's is fought constantly to no avail. You can google women topless law and see what you get...I did and a few news articles come up, some from Canada others from the U.S.

Answer 7

It varies by state. I live in NY, and it's legal for us to go topless anyplace a guy has the same right. Local ordinances, however, can be passed to supercede this right and make bare boobs illegal within that specific location.

Best suggestion is to check on a state-by-state basis, and then check with the city, town or village you have in mind.

Answer 8

In NY it is legal to go topless. Many years ago several women were arrested in Rochester for public lewdness for removing their tops in a public park. After they were convicted they took it to the state court of appeals arguing that it was discriminatory and a violation of equal protection for them to be arrested for something a man would not be. The court agreed and the conviction was overturned thus setting the precedence.

Answer 9

Why might desire to women people no longer have the comparable genuine as men in the time of this occasion? it is not any longer sexual in locations contained in the international the place women each person is topless invariably, it rather is barely sexual as a results of fact our custom has made it that way. it rather is my information that many ladies people locate topless men to be a turn on, how is it different?

Answer 10

I know that u can go topless in your own backyard legally. as long as people have to go out of their way 2 see u if it's not n public, ur cool. but i know this question asks about when n public. just thought id throw n my two cents :)