The Top-less Feminist Movement in Scandinavia
Swedish and Danish women are still fighting for equal rights. Scandinavian women have in many ways been in the forefront in women’s struggle for equality between the sexes. And much has been achieved. A number of studies indicate that wage discrimination has more or less disappeared in Scandinavia. And the women have won a number of other important victories as well.
Now a group of women are fighting for the right to bath and swim topless in public swimming facilities. The city of Sundsvall in Northern Sweden granted women this right after a bare-breasted protest a while ago. And now Copenhagen has permitted topless swimming as well.
Another victory for Scandinavian women.
Actually, for the men as well, I guess?
The Sun (UK) wrote about this today (03/29):
Campaign leader Astrid Vang, 20, who took her top off with others to protest at a leisure centre at Christmas, said: “We women would like to decide by ourselves when our breasts should be sexual and when not.”In swimming pools they should not and that is why the breasts should not be covered – We will bathe topless just like men.”
The Danish campaign was inspired by a Swedish group called Just Breasts, which was formed after two women were asked to cover up their breasts by a lifeguard at a public pool near Stockholm.
Swedish protesters carried out several full-frontal marches in their country but their tireless topless fight will not stop at swimming pools — the perky sufferagettes want to show tops the red card at football matches next.
The odd piece of information, strange facts, comments on news, ranting and rambling. Kicks and licks. Fun, irony and sarcasm, often, though, with some serious intention.
I live and have lived in Europe and the US. I like both.
I’m nekkid, so no need to undress me. Don't bite me. I much prefer stroking.
March 28th, 2008 at 4:56 am
God, now I want to move to Europe!
March 28th, 2008 at 6:22 am
“A number of studies indicate that wage discrimination has more or less disappeared in Scandinavia”. [Citation needed]
That is not true at all, the difference in wage is getting smaller but generally, there is still a difference. The difference in pay between our new- and former Equality Ombudsman is a good example:
http://www.thefword.org.uk/blog/2007/11/swedens_new_fem
/ Olof, Sweden.
March 28th, 2008 at 7:16 am
“A number of studies indicate that wage discrimination has more or less disappeared in Scandinavia”
That is just not correct. In Denmark there is a wage gap of about 20% overall and that has been unchenged for years despite much talk and despite legislation to ensure equal pay.
There are different speculations as to the reason, one reason might be that workplaces in Denmark are among the world’s most gender segregated, with most professions being either male-dominated or female-dominated. The disciplines in which women typically work are underpayed compared to the the disciplines in which men typically work.
Another reason for the gap might be that most women take leave after giving birth – much more so than men do – and under some circumstances the workplace has to cover some of the wages for the woman while she is on leave.
March 28th, 2008 at 7:29 am
Wage “discrimination” is virtually non-existent. The gap in wages earned by men and women can be entirely explained by looking at the differences in work patterns and career choices.
March 28th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Edward Says:
March 28th, 2008 at 7:29 am
Wage “discrimination” is virtually non-existent. The gap in wages earned by men and women can be entirely explained by looking at the differences in work patterns and career choices.
Exactly. This is the old “women earn 79 cents on the dollar compared to men” canard which has been debunked by equity feminists world wide. Women are just as capable of going to school to get degrees to have careers in the higher paying fields. They choose not to do it because of the hours,etc required to compete. I was also interested to note that for all the complaining there is no mention of 97 percent of work place deaths are men. Seems to me the men while working in the higher income bracket fields are also working in the lower paying dangerous fields.
March 28th, 2008 at 9:51 am
If you just look at universities, engineering programs in university, it’s still dominated by men, and we know how much those engineers make. I’m from U of Waterloo in Canada which is largely an engineering school, my electrical engineering program has girl to guy ratio of 1 to 10.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:33 am
How can I contribute financially to the spread of this this movement?
March 28th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
I think the world must move away from this suffraggettes mentality and militantcy. By continuing on this road we have failed to maximize the very best of both sexes. Competition is good if it’s a healthy one but this one does nothing other than tear down. What the battle of sexes have achieved is nothing but turning many men feminists and some women androids. These same women turn round to complain that “there aren’t real men these days”. What an oxymoron.
It is naive to make direct comparison when wo/men don’t think the same. I couldn’t agree any better with Jason. If we could have it all the skunk would smell like roses. When you keep on fighting it the rage goes on because what you resists persists.
March 29th, 2008 at 3:48 am
video of it here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
heres a video of them in my local swimming pool
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:06 pm
heres a video of them in my local swimming pool
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rRIqzaCcpno
April 4th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Why are you all arguing about salaries when women are getting their tits out in swimming pools? Huzzah!!
April 4th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Of course next thing they’ll be wanting to wear long trousers, shirt, tie and jacket in work in the summer instead of a nice strappy top, shorts and sandals, and not taking 5 days a month off because they’ve got “women’s troubles”. It’s a funny old world.
April 5th, 2008 at 12:27 am
…then their going to complain and wonder why they get raped so much. :/
April 5th, 2008 at 12:58 am
Richard: Yeah, well, of course! Being topless isn’t quite the same as saying yes to sex (to any man who might want it). Frankly, I don’t see why topless women should be a problem for anybody wherever it is also natural for men to be topless.
April 5th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Actually, I believe, as a male, that by showing female breasts, they become less exciting, thus we are about to take the female sexuality away from them. What a shame…
April 6th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Hello. Let’s get acquainted!
My name is Jessika.
April 7th, 2008 at 7:20 am
Let everyone do anything they want. It’s all going down anyway.
April 9th, 2008 at 7:06 am
Erin
Wow! This was a really enlightening article.
April 26th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Two things are extremely dangerous for Danish politicians not to accommodate: Women’s lib and racial minorities.
Although most people belonging to racial minorities as well as most elderly ethnic Danes will at least feel uncomfortable with bare-breasted women around them in public swimming pools, Copenhagen politicians (the vast majority of the city cultural committee!!) want to accommodate topless swim-mers in the name of women’s lib.
Some years ago legislation was passed to allow Muslims to practice their religious halal slaughtering (involving bleeding out without preceding anaesthesia or stunning), although such slaughtering was forbidden by law in Denmark around 1960 in order to ensure animals a death as pain free as possible. Before that time, killing by bleeding out had presumably been practiced by Danish home slaughterers since time immemorial.
Also, some years ago, there were at least serious considerations in Denmark about not offering any food at all containing pig meat in day care centres, so as not to offend Muslim users. It is important to note in this connection that, otherwise at least, pig meat is the predominant type of meat eaten in Denmark.
Can anybody see any consistency. I doubt it, – ‘cause it’s not always easy to please everyone.
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:59 am
Hello, Your site is great. abra2 [url=http://www.abra3.com]abra3[/url] http://www.abra1.com [URL]http://www.abra4.com[/URL] Regards, Valiintino Guxxi
May 5th, 2008 at 8:10 am
great site check my,thnx!!!
http://www.kaleta.hr
June 20th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Nice website!!
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:38 am
[...] in ScandinaviaFeminists in Scandinavia fight for the right to topless swimming in public facilities.http://www.european-viewpoint.com/nekkid-blogger/the-top-less-feminist-movement-in-scandinavia/The Feminist Movement in the 20th Century Introduction: Feminism …The feminist movement in the [...]
November 1st, 2008 at 1:14 am
What about young children and teenage boys?… and our FAMILIES!? I thought we women were supposed to be intelligent and caregiving by nature.
To say that breasts are not sexual, and therefore can be displayed, is as flawed as saying that a penis is for urination, not necessarily sex, and therefore it can be exposed too…
The question is, do you exhibitionist women really respect yourselves? Or do you prefer knowing that by satisfying the lusts of male voyeurs you can feel you are accomplishing something?
May 16th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
I am a painter a naturist indeed. boobs are the symbol of maternity. no animal is sexually attracted by seeing mammaries! bulls are not mounting on cows by seeing udder.
cave men never used clads,however they might have used leaves ‘n’ leather only to protect themselves from cold climate. but never for veiling their genitals.
still there are few aborgines communities living in rain forests in bare they don’t have any problem of seeing their boobs ‘n’ genitals each other. for them genital embrass is a natural instinct an invisible stimulation experienced by pheromones in right time ‘n’ on right mate ‘n’ in right period. they have no sex with infant, child, pregnant,aged,dead like pseudo cultural communities like us.
I am a pro feminist too, hence I suggest my sisters that either you should avail a court order for equality ‘n’ equity even to be bare or all the male should not expose their bust in public and those who violate must be punished.
n.g.jhonzsonn (www.ngjhonzsonn.com )
December 24th, 2009 at 2:44 am
Women can show most of their chest in an office. Men can’t.
They can get into a nightclub with sandals. Men can’t.
They can wear lots of earrings, etc and still be CEO of Telecom. Men can’t.
They can wear many more hairstyles than men.
They can decide on pants, skirt, dress, etc every day. Men can’t.
They can ditch the suit if they like. Men can’t.
In general, the only freedom men have is to go topless. In every other aspect of clothing and fashion, women’s choices outnumber mens’ 100 to 1. Women can even dress in men’s clothes if they like, and nobody says anything.
And yet they still can’t stop complaining.
March 9th, 2010 at 1:42 am
I adore the playing type of The Great Dane. He thinks #out of# the box and surprises his opponent with garbage hands that turned to gold – #at least# for him
. I laugh whenever I witness the faces of his opponent when he shows them his cards.