By Katja Colmenares
At the Berliner Baeder-Betriebe (BBB) women are now also expressly allowed to go topless; BZ editor Katja Colmenares comments.
In our reaction conference, the discussion about the topic “topless” in the swimming pool flared up.
Sentences like “We’re not the ‘Praline'” were used when it came to the illustrations on these two sides. Or: “But neither does the Vatican”. A colleague wanted to know how women really think about it. No idea, because everyone thinks differently.
My Opinion: Of course it is right to let every woman decide for herself whether she wants to be topless in the swimming pool. This is the logical consequence of equal treatment and anti-discrimination. But when it comes to bare women’s breasts, that suddenly no longer applies to many people.
I love lying topless on the beach. I find it ugly to have a white bikini stripe across your chest. Swimming topless in the sea is wonderful. Beach tennis is a bouncing ordeal without a top.
In the swimming pool on the ceiling – without. In the pool of water – probably with. When fetching fries too. At the bathing lake – without. In the lake – even without. These are all gut decisions.
I, too, have been shaped by our society, in which the female breast has been much more sexualized than the male breast for generations. But that’s probably happening most often from the perspective of straight men. And because that’s the case, girls are often impressed early on: Don’t be so revealing, the men are already looking.
But that shouldn’t remain a women’s problem, but rather, if at all, a men’s problem. Because they are the ones who gape.