Topless In Portland

Sorry guys…...no video today.

Actually, I’ll post the WCSH TV News Story video link, but maybe not what you expect or want to see.

This past Saturday, a few dozen women paraded down Portland, Maine’s Congress Street topless. The idea was to call attention to the fact that there is an inherent inequality between men and women who choose to take off their shirts.

Uh….yeah. Is that somehow a SURPRISE?

In Maine, it is not illegal for women to be topless in public. So, while the police were on hand Saturday to provide escort/crowd control, there were no arrests made, no should there have been. Indeed, if a woman chooses to parade publicly with the “twins” exposed, then there is freedom to do so.

If it became more common, perhaps it wouldn’t attract the attention that Saturday’s parade did.
Here is a link to Channel 6’s news story--seems the embedded player may NOT work for you:



http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=116208

I was working at 94.9 WHOM Saturday—and I will admit that Monument Square seemed a bit crowded as I was leaving the building. I chalked it up to a beautiful sunny day-the first of a spectacular Easter weekend. I was over halfway to the parking garage when it struck me that the crowd was almost entirely male—and that many of them were holding video cameras—or their cell phones were out and poised to record…something.

And then I saw them—headed my way.

Estimates ranged from a couple dozen to thirty women strolling down the square—on their way to Tommy’s Park, where who knows what would happen next. I stepped aside to let the ladies by—and the throng of gawking men who were walking the same route. I swear that someone could have been MURDERED right there and then and there would have been NO WITNESSES to the crime. All eyes were on the women.

Clearly, none of them showed any signs of inhibition or embarrassment. Bouncing down the street, I did notice that several people caught by surprise did avert their eyes—and some parents were preoccupied with covering up their young children’s eyes.

While I can understand the rationale, I believe that the human body is beautiful (some bodies clearly more than others) and creating the impression that anyone should be ashamed is not a healthy perspective. In Europe—and around the world, many beaches are topless---or completely nude—and one sees men, women and children of all ages enjoying the sun and surf without a thought to what surrounds them. This makes our national views of toplessness (is that a word?) more of a cultural phenomenon than an absolute of our species. In short, there is nothing more natural than….all of us in our birthday suits.

Interestingly, it could be said that the most uncomfortable people at the “parade” this past Saturday may have been those women in attendance who were actually wearing their shirts. Why? Well, the same people crying out for individual freedom and choice were perhaps unwittingly denying others the same choice-or making them feel self conscious about WEARING clothes.

I saw several of the topless women egging on their clothed counterparts to either flash or completely remove their tops as well. As the half naked women shook their wares and taunted those wearing a blouse, the men around them followed suit.

In short, there was no shortage of boobs in downtown Portland this past Saturday.

If you’d like my blog in your box weekdays, just let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com