Stripping down fairness

It’s getting warm out there. It’s the time of year when it can be so uncomfortably hot that you really want to strip down to almost nothing just to stay cool. But it’s easier for men to do that than it is for women.

There’s some unfairness when it comes to how much the genders are legally allowed to strip down to when it comes to being on the beach or just walking down the street.

This whole equal rights thing has had me wondering why it’s OK for men to go around topless but it’s not socially acceptable for women to do the same.

I guess the argument is that women have breasts so they are leaving themselves uncovered and actually showing the public something. But when you think about it there are also larger men who have the same sort of chest. That’s not meant to be a derogatory comment but it’s a fact.

It’s perfectly legal for a heavy-set man to be out in public with nothing covering up his upper body. Perhaps it’s a question of what is tasteful and what is not when it comes to a topless man. If that’s the case, there shouldn’t be a problem with women being able to be shirtless just like the opposite sex.

I’ve also noticed a double standard when it comes to swimsuits. On television or in ads it’s very common to have small two-piece women’s swimsuits but a man is rarely pictured that way as it may, I guess, offend some people for seeing his “business” practically exposed. Again, strange that it’s favoured to have a woman in a skimpy outfit in public but not for men in this instance.

Perhaps this is just the way society likes things and we feel comfortable in certain scenarios. Of course other times it’s a question of what is deemed offensive or obscene or even considered in good taste.

But when it comes down to being comfortable I think it should be the same across the board for both genders. After all, equal rights is something we love about Canada.