Topless parade to kick off summer in Rio

[Danee]

More than 2000 women have pledged on Facebook to join a topless event on Rio's famed Ipanema beach to mark the arrival of summer later this month.

The "Toplessaco", scheduled for December 21, is the brainchild of Ana Rios, a 23-year-old event planning expert and human rights activist, the daily O Dia newspaper reports.

Brazil may be the land of Carnival and its scantily dressed beauty queens, but topless displays on beaches are frowned upon while wearing string bikinis is seen as normal.

Rios told O Dia that she got the idea after witnessing the hostile public reaction to the "Slut Walk" organised in Rio last July during Pope Francis' visit as part of World Youth Day, a major Catholic festival.

And she decided to launch the event after actress Cristina Flores was questioned by police for indecent behaviour because she posed topless for beach photos to promote a theatre production.

"In Rio, to go topless is seen as a breach of the law. I always found this Brazilian morality bizarre where at a certain time of the year (Carnival) naked women are seen everywhere, on magazine covers at newspaper stands," added Rios, an Amnesty International activist.
Several men have said they also will participate as a gesture of solidarity and Rios called for similar Toplessacos on other Rio beaches

[nudetrail]

More than 2000 women have pledged on Facebook to join a topless event on Rio's famed Ipanema beach to mark the arrival of summer later this month.

The "Toplessaco", scheduled for December 21, is the brainchild of Ana Rios, a 23-year-old event planning expert and human rights activist, the daily O Dia newspaper reports.

Brazil may be the land of Carnival and its scantily dressed beauty queens, but topless displays on beaches are frowned upon while wearing string bikinis is seen as normal.

YAAAAAAAY to this 
Rios told O Dia that she got the idea after witnessing the hostile public reaction to the "Slut Walk" organised in Rio last July during Pope Francis' visit as part of World Youth Day, a major Catholic festival.

And she decided to launch the event after actress Cristina Flores was questioned by police for indecent behaviour because she posed topless for beach photos to promote a theatre production.

"In Rio, to go topless is seen as a breach of the law. I always found this Brazilian morality bizarre where at a certain time of the year (Carnival) naked women are seen everywhere, on magazine covers at newspaper stands," added Rios, an Amnesty International activist.
Several men have said they also will participate as a gesture of solidarity and Rios called for similar Toplessacos on other Rio beaches

[ToneBender]

So... it went ahead - but they didn't get as much of a turnout as they would have liked.

From the BBC:

Brazil: Few women attend Rio topless ban protest


Brazilian authorities say they are considering changes to legislation that bans topless sunbathing

A protest in Brazil against a decades-old ban on topless sunbathing has failed to attract more than a dozen women.

Instead, hundreds of photographers and men turned up for the event on Rio de Janeiro's Ipanema beach.

More than 2,000 women had said they would take their tops off on the beach on Saturday morning to call for the law to be scrapped.

Organisers say most women probably felt too intimidated to join the protest.

Protesters say Brazilian legislation, which defines beach topless as an obscene act, is anachronistic and hypocritical.


Rio topless ban protest The few women who went ahead with the topless protest were outnumbered by journalists and male beach-goers

They argue that nudity is tolerated during the annual carnival parade in Rio.

"It's a false-Puritanism and indicative of our macho culture that we have a law forbidding that a woman can go topless," Olga Salon told the Associated Press news agency.

She was one of the few women who went ahead with the protest and took her top off before a crowd of photographers and male beach-goers.

The organiser, Ana Rios, said the idea was to raise awareness to the prejudice against women in Brazil.


Men at Rio topless ban protest A group of men backed up the women's protest and denounced "sexist legislation"

"It is a pity it became a media circus. What really amazes me is the number of men who came here just to see women's chests," she said.

The movement began after Brazilian actress Cristina Flores was approached by local policemen and told to interrupt a photo session.

She says they threatened to arrest her if she did not agree to put her top on.

"I didn't even know it was illegal when I did it," she said.

A 1940s law says going topless on the beach is punishable with three months to a year in jail or a fine.

The harsh penalties are rarely enforced, but topless sunbathing is not tolerated on most Brazilian beaches.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25479789

[stiloff]

That really is something of the most hypocritical order. First, women wear XXX-mini bikinis at the beach which sometimes even show their genitals and it's fine. Second, there's naked women being broadcast on national TV during Carnaval and that's art and it's fine. I don't see why the big deal on topless restrictions and I think it's great that they are trying to change that.

Here are some photos:
http://m.g1.globo.com/rio-de-janeiro/fotos/2013/12/fotos-protesto-toplessaco-reune-mulheres-em-ipanema-no-rio.html

[Archaewok1]

Sucks they had such a poor turnout. I wish less people would put up fronts.

[The Streaker]

Instead, hundreds of photographers and men turned up for the event on Rio de Janeiro's Ipanema beach.

"It is a pity it became a media circus. What really amazes me is the number of men who came here just to see women's chests,"

Yeah this worries me. I mean really, how are we going to remove the idea that breasts are sexual when it's been engrained into many people's brains?

[stiloff]

One step at a time... specially in Brazil, where things don't happen overnight. I'm glad some people showed up and spoke up their minds.

[escape]

Instead, hundreds of photographers and men turned up for the event on Rio de Janeiro's Ipanema beach.

"It is a pity it became a media circus. What really amazes me is the number of men who came here just to see women's chests,"

Yeah this worries me. I mean really, how are we going to remove the idea that breasts are sexual when it's been engrained into many people's brains?

The novelty would die off pretty quickly, so I wouldn't worry. Crowds will turn up to almost anything that's a bit different and boobs are popular.