As a general term, toplessness refers to the state of not wearing clothing above the waist, exposing the torso. In its usual specific application to women and postpubescent girls, it refers to having the breasts fully uncovered, with the areolae and nipples displayed. In a varied career in the entertainment industry Miles Tredinnick (born February 18, 1955) has been a rock singer, TV comedy scriptwriter, songwriter, playwright, novelist and tour guide. ... Topless is a one woman play by Miles Tredinnick. ... Clothing protects the vulnerable nude human body from the extremes of weather, other features of our environment, and for safety reasons. ... Waistline The waist is the part of the abdomen between the ribcage and hips. ... okay that is all ... Cross section of the breast of a human female. ... Nipple is, generally, the name given to the mammalian nipple, or to things resembling it, such as the tip of an artificial teat or the tip of a grease secreting mechanism in machinery. ...

Although male toplessness (or barechestedness) is mostly uncontroversial, the prominent role women's breasts play in sexual attraction and sexual behavior has given rise to widely variant attitudes toward female toplessness throughout history and across cultures. Many non-Western cultures consider the exposure of girls' and women's breasts to be natural and socially acceptable, but Western cultures often attach social stigma to female toplessness and attempt to curb it in the interests of public morality or religious piety. Going bare chested refers to a man wearing no clothes above the waist, exposing the torso and arms. ... In a species that reproduces sexually, sexual attraction is an attraction to other members of the same species for sexual or erotic activity. ... This article is about sexual practices (i. ... Social stigma is severe social disapproval of personal characteristics or beliefs that are against cultural norms. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Various Religious symbols, including (first row) Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Bahai, (second row) Islamic, tribal, Taoist, Shinto (third row) Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Jain, (fourth row) Ayyavazhi, Triple Goddess, Maltese cross, pre-Christian Slavonic Religion is the adherence to codified beliefs and rituals that generally involve a faith in a spiritual...

The adjective "topless" can refer to a person, generally a woman, who appears, poses, or performs with her chest exposed (a "topless model"); a place where female toplessness is tolerated or expected (a "topless bar"); or a garment designed to reveal the breasts (a "topless swimsuit"). Given Western prohibitions on the display of female breasts, the term "topless" may carry sexual or salacious connotations. Advocates of women's right to expose their breasts in a nonsexual manner may prefer the less loaded term "topfree". // In grammar, an adjective is a word whose main syntactic role is to modify a noun or pronoun (called the adjectives subject), giving more information about what the noun or pronoun refers to. ... The original monokini, designed by Rudi Gernreich in 1964. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Non-Western cultures

A woman wearing traditional clothing in Southern Ethiopia. Many cultures do not stigmatise toplessness among women

Examining anthropological research from almost two hundred non-Western cultures, Ford and Beach (1951) found that most of the societies studied did not require women to cover their breasts. They also found that the role of the female breasts in sexual attraction and sexual behavior had little bearing on cultural requirements that women conceal them. Although many indigenous cultures are changing through the process of Westernization, with women in some areas increasingly adopting Western-style clothing that covers the breasts, female toplessness for many peoples remains an important aspect of traditional and ceremonial dress and does not carry the social stigma often ascribed to it in the Western world. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1944x2592, 2090 KB) Junge Hamer-Frau in Südäthiopien (nahe Turmi) Eigenes Foto März 2006 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Toplessness Metadata This file... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1944x2592, 2090 KB) Junge Hamer-Frau in Südäthiopien (nahe Turmi) Eigenes Foto März 2006 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Toplessness Metadata This file... In a species that reproduces sexually, sexual attraction is an attraction to other members of the same species for sexual or erotic activity. ... This article is about sexual practices (i. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Western cultures

Toplessness as a form of political protest in Washington, D.C., September 24, 2005. See Breasts Not Bombs.

Although it is fashionable and culturally acceptable in most Western cultures for women to display cleavage, particularly when wearing swimsuits or dressing for social occasions, concealment of the lower portion of the breasts, including the nipples and areolae, is a sociocultural norm of postpubescent female modesty in the Western world. Although attitudes and traditions vary across countries, many Western women find it acceptable go topless only when in private, when with a sexual partner, when undergoing a clinical examination, or when in an appropriate gender-segregated area, such as a locker room, changing room, or communal shower. Public toplessness remains relatively rare in the West, and is mostly confined to occasional acts of exhibitionism or political protest. Image File history File links Breasts-not-bombs. ... Image File history File links Breasts-not-bombs. ... Scene from an anti-war protest in Washington, D.C., September 24, 2005. ... Adult model Aria Giovanni displaying cleavage Cleavage is the cleft created by the partial exposure of a womans breasts, especially when exposed by low-cut clothing. ... A swimsuit, bathing suit or swimming costume is an item of clothing designed to be worn for swimming. ... Nipple is, generally, the name given to the mammalian nipple, or to things resembling it, such as the tip of an artificial teat or the tip of a grease secreting mechanism in machinery. ... Cross section of the breast of a human female. ... It has been suggested that Convention (norm) be merged into this article or section. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... A sexual partner is a person with whom one engages in sex acts. ... In medicine, physical examination, or clinical examination, is the process by which the physician investigates the body of a patient for signs of disease . ... A changeroom (in Australia, Canada, and other areas, including some parts of the USA, and also known as a changing room, change room, lockerroom, or locker room in the United Kingdom or USA) is a place where people go to change their clothes. ... A changing room is a place for people to go to change their clothes. ... Communal showers are a group of single showers put together in one room/area. ... An exhibitionist exposing himself at a soccer game. ... 2003 GMO USDA protest Protest expresses relatively overt reaction to events or situations: sometimes in favour, more often opposed. ...

Many Western juristictions have legal statues that define the act of publicly displaying the female breast as indecent exposure. The topfree equality movement opposes such legal classifications of the exposed female breast as indecent, arguing that since men may expose their anatomically analogous chests and nipples with impunity, such laws constitute a form of sexual discrimination against women. Heated debates have taken place on this issue, particularly when nursing mothers have been arrested and prosecuted for breastfeeding their babies in public. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This box:      The sign of the headquarters of the National Association Opposed To Woman Suffrage Sexism is commonly considered to be discrimination and/or hatred against people based on their sex rather than their individual merits, but can also refer to any and all systemic differentiations based on the sex... An infant breastfeeding International Breastfeeding Symbol (Matt Daigle, Mothering magazine contest winner 2006) Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with milk from a womans breasts. ...

The topfree movement has successfully challenged allegedly discriminatory statutes in several jurisdictions, most notably in Canada, where in 1996 the Ontario court of appeals exempted female toplessness from the Canadian criminal code's definition of indecent behavior. Courts made similar rulings in Saskatchewan in 1998 and in British Columbia in 2000. Additionally, many other jurisdictions now permit breastfeeding in public while retaining indecent exposure laws, essentially differentiating the lactational from the sexual functions of the female breast. Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Motto: Multis E Gentibus Vires (Latin: The Strength of Many Peoples) Capital Regina Largest city Saskatoon Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Gordon Barnhart - Premier Lorne Calvert (NDP) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 14 - Senate seats 6 Confederation September 1, 1905 (Split from NWT) (9th (province)) Area  Ranked... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour Without Sunset (diminishment)) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo - Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 36 - Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area  Ranked 5th - Total 944,735... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... An infant breastfeeding International Breastfeeding Symbol (Matt Daigle, Mothering magazine contest winner 2006) Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with milk from a womans breasts. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Kittens nursing Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands, the process of providing that milk to the young, and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. ... Human sexuality is the expression of sexual feelings. ...

Women sunbathing topless on a beach in Barcelona, Spain.

One zone often exempted from societal prohibitions on female toplessness is the beach, particularly in liberal areas of Europe, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States. A mid-1990s survey of Australian university students found that 88 percent of respondents considered it socially acceptable for women to go topless on public beaches, although the vast majority disapproved of female toplessness in other contexts (Herold, Corbesi, & Collins, 1994; 1995). A so-called "topless beach" (sometimes more accurately called a "top-optional" beach) differs from a nude beach or naturist beach in that beachgoers of both sexes will keep the genitalia strictly covered, while women are free to choose whether or not to expose their breasts. In addition, women who sunbathe topless do not necessarily consider themselves to be nudists. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 325 pixelsFull resolution (1794 × 729 pixel, file size: 435 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Women sunbathing topless on a beach in Barcelona I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 325 pixelsFull resolution (1794 × 729 pixel, file size: 435 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Women sunbathing topless on a beach in Barcelona I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Barcelona (Catalan) Spanish name Barcelona Nickname Ciutat Comtal (City of Counts) Postal code 08001–08080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 93 (Barcelona) Website http://www. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... People skinny dipping and sunbathing nude at Bredene nudist beach in Belgium. ... People skinny dipping and sunbathing nude at Bredene nudist beach in Belgium. ... The meanings of naturism and nudism are very similar, and refer to a cultural and political movement practising, advocating and defending social nudity in private and public spaces. ...

Entertainment and Media

Given widespread Western prohibitions on female toplessness, specific adult-only venues such as strip clubs and cabarets often employ women to perform topless as a form of commercial erotic entertainment. Female toplessness is also regularly featured in mainstream film and on cable television. Many prominent actresses and models have exposed their breasts for topless scenes or photographs. For the book or movie Striptease see Striptease (book) and Striptease (movie) A striptease is a performance, usually a dance, in which the performer gradually removes their clothing for the purposes of sexually arousing the audience, usually performed in nightclubs. ... Cabaret is a form of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue - a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting around the tables (often dining or drinking) watching the performance. ...

Following a tradition established by The Sun in 1970, several mainstream British tabloid newspapers feature topless female models on their third page, known as Page Three girls. The tradition has sometimes caused controversy -- as when feminist Member of Parliament Clare Short campaigned to have Page Three girls banned -- but is generally accepted as inoffensive and even amusing. This article is about a British tabloid. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Clare Short (born 15 February 1946) is a British politician and a member of the British Labour Party. ...

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Toplessness

• Barechested
• Handbra
• Sociology of clothing
• Topfreedom
• Skin Cancer
• Breasts