Victoria's Secret Brings Back the Topless Bathing Suit

Wouldn't it be ironic if it's the fashion industry which makes it trendy for people to wear less clothing? This could be an interesting summer for the topfreedom movement if this suit begins to catch on.

Victoria's Secret Topless Bikini

"Talk to a Therapist"

A woman writes to Ellie complaining about her 25 year-old daughter's penchant for wearing low-cut and see-through tops.

We now have a good relationship and she visits us often. However, she has taken to going braless in flimsy materials where her full breasts and nipples are visible. I wouldn't want any woman coming to my home with my husband there, wearing practically nothing.

Instead of Ellie explaining to "Stressed" that nipples and breasts are nothing to get upset about, she offers this advice:

It's time you stopped being afraid to alienate her ... This may even be her adult way of "testing you," wanting you to care enough to be honest (without putting her down). Try to do it gently and with humour, as in, "You're gorgeous but we're seeing too much of you for parental comfort, so here's a shirt to wear while you're here." Also, be upfront in explaining that the younger girls aren't allowed to dress like that, as they're not as capable as she is of handling any overt reaction.

However, "sexual jealousy" has nothing to do with her clothing. It's related to your insecurities – perhaps about middle age, perhaps about your marriage. If it persists, talk to a therapist about it.

So, Ellie tells her to alienate her daughter by telling her to cover up, teach the younger children that the older daughter dresses like a slut, and to talk to a therapist. All over the sight of female breasts! How about telling the woman to simply stop staring at her daughter's breasts if they're upsetting her so much.

What other culture on earth would allow nipples to potentially break up a family? Complete insanity.

The Sunday Newds 10/12/08

• A little too much wine helped a group of tradesmen decide to go nude for a fundraising calendar.
• An interview with a Raelian guide reveals plans for "an enormous topless event" next year.
• A Catholic writer equates nudity with the fall of civilization. I'm all in favor of a serious discussion on nudity and shame, but when the foundation of an argument rests upon the Adam and Eve fairy tale, it's hard to rebut fiction.
• A girl is shocked to discover that her friend is a naturist.

  It’s one thing to get together with a group of like-minded people who want to change the world, or learn Spanish, or gossip about Brangelina. But naturists are united by nothing more than the fact that they have bodies. Once they’ve gotten nekkid and walked about a bit, what else is there to do? You’re not even supposed to be judging anyone’s looks.

• A mother discovers that her 16 year-old daughter is sending nude photos of herself to a classmate, and seeks advice from a parenting expert.

  For all you know, this is something all the girls are doing. That doesn't mean it's OK. (If that's the case, it's something you need to brainstorm with other parents about it.) But you need need a way into her thinking and you are more likely to get that with genuine concern and interest than with angry, punitive responses.

• A New York Times fashion writer notes that seeing naked people is just part of his job.
• The curator of an art exhibit called "Naked" has refused to close down the show in light of some complaints, and has been backed up by the museum's trustees.
• A writer argues that our current definition of "beauty" needs a lot of work.
• Britney Spears gets naked in her new video "Womanizer".
• The Kaiser Chiefs don't appreciate it when members of their audience get naked.
• Artist John McKaig is asked about the pros and cons of being a nudist.

  Americans seem to have a particular problem in this area. We seem to be ashamed of, and at the same time, intensively interested in the human body and sexuality. It’s this strange combination of Victorian era mentality coupled with daily use of internet porn.
  
  The problem with porn, I think, is that it “de-contextualizes” the human body. It over-emphasizes one aspect of the human body, and does so in way that even doesn’t require nudity, but implies that it is. It also turns something that is inherently beautiful and wholesome (sex) and turns it into something that is forbidden and sleazy.
  
  There are, as you may know, many areas of the world that do not have this contradictory attitude towards the human body, and consequently these other countries don’t have the problems that Americans have with body/self esteem issues (especially in girls or young women), and don’t have the same problem with sexual crimes and disjointed attitudes (mostly by men) concerning what is proper behavior in a sexual relationship, etc.
  
  I also think that this relates to the many men’s extreme homophobia – They have this reinforced, disjointed view of what is expected of their role in a sexual context, and of what the body is “used” for, that when they are confronted with someone who does not fit this stereotype, they overreact.
  
  The overemphasis on hiding the body has, in many ways, resulted in more problems related to people’s attitude towards the body. If it was a matter-of-fact situation to see someone nude in a park or a beach or at home, than the depiction of the human body wouldn’t be “used” in ways that de-contextualize the actual beauty and wholesomeness of the body.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

Uma Thurman Makes Nude Fashion Statement

Uma Thurman appeared nearly nude in public wearing a see-through Valentino gown at the Swarovski Fashion Rocks event.

The significance of the dress is that it clearly reveals Uma's nipples, breaking a modern social taboo. The female nipple has been well hidden from public view since the Victorian times, and fashion for women has ranged from binding corsets to bullet bras, all designed to be sexually repressive while remaining pleasing to the male eye.

The only memorable fashion statement that directly addressed the liberation of women's bodies was the "monokini" or topless bathing suit, but generally anyone who tried to wear one was arrested.

I have not read any reports about Uma Thurman having been arrested for exposing her breast in public. Perhaps this is the beginning of a new fashion trend. Women have been exposing their cleavage in public for decades, especially in Hollywood. Remember Barbra Streisand and Jennifer Lopez and their revealing outfits? They exposed most of their breasts, but none have dared to freely expose their nipples.

It's long past the time where women should be enjoying the same freedom that men have when it comes to body freedom. Uma Thurman has opened the door in a beautiful and classy way.

UPDATE: Egotastic has high resolution photographs of Uma in her gown, including one from behind where her buttocks are clearly visible. Uma is essentially nude in public. This is not an insignificant event in the fashion world, I'll bet that other celebrities are asking their designers for something equally daring.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked