Do women swim topless?
23 May 2006 by danielbowenDo women commonly swim topless in Australia or is that more of a European thing? — Gregg, USA
I’ve been to Europe a couple of times, but haven’t spent a great deal of time there. Nor am I an expert in it, otherwise this web site might be the Toxic Custard Guide to Europe.
But I do question whether women commonly swimming topless is particularly a European thing. Maybe I just haven’t frequented enough European beaches, nor in the right seasons, but it didn’t appear to me that the average European woman was particularly inclined to head for the seaside to get her kit off.
Most Australian women too prefer not to expose themselves to total strangers. But there are a handful of topless or nude (”Clothes Optional”) beaches dotted around the country.
Bear in mind that if your only reason for knowing is so you can have a bit of a perve, don’t assume you’ll be made welcome.
May 24th, 2006 at 2:11 am
I think I remember a few topless beauties at Bondi Beach in Sydney, although I suspect that wasn’t actually a clothes-optional beach. In any case, Aussie women at every beach I visited were total hotties!
May 24th, 2006 at 3:18 am
I haven’t been to Europe or a European beach in quite some time, but it seems that the most common location for topless swimming and sunbathing is on and near the French Riviera (i.e. Nice in France, Cannes in Monaco). I went to Nice when I was 13 and it was like living in a Playboy magazine. It was extremely difficult not to stare.
But, while there may be beautiful women taking their kit off in Nice and Cannes, the general rule for “clothing optional” beaches or any sort of nudist enclave is a bit different. My wife has a personal quote she likes to use: “The people you least want to see naked are usually the first ones to strip off.”
If you go to “clothing optional” beaches or enclaves, you’re going to see a lot of people the age of your parents or grandparents letting their naughty bits wave in the wind. The chances of a beautiful bare woman may be good or may be slim, but I can guarantee you that you’ll see some 60 year old man’s wrinkly butt and dangling sack. Are you really willing to expose yourself to the trauma of having to see multiple sets of bouncing grandpa balls just for the chance you might see a naked woman you can’t have?
But on that note, just realize that the topless beaches on the Riviera are also a haven for fat hairy men wearing skimpy bathing kit that should only be seen on Olympic swimmers.
May 27th, 2006 at 12:51 am
One Word - “Croatia”
June 11th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
Australian women are quite conservative in regard to showing off their bodies. There is a time and place for everything. Perhaps taking your top off in the bedroom is perfectly alright, but on the beach - I don’t think so.
http://adventure–australia.blogspot.com/
July 18th, 2006 at 9:49 am
You may consider every beach in Australia as a “topless beach” and this has been the case for at least the past twenty years. The prevalance of topless sunbathing will vary from beach to beach and there appears to be no logic to it.
Mainstream beaches like Bondi and Manly, in Sydney, will certainly have a fair proportion of topless women.
As for swimming topless, it is the general case tthat girls will put thir tops back on to walk around the beach or into the water.
November 1st, 2006 at 11:20 am
Gregg:
While there are topless bathers in Australia, it is
more common to see Australians swimming topless
elsewhere. Farther away from parents, perhaps.
Bali in Indonesia is a good bet.
French and Italian and Greek beaches are almost
always top, if not clothing, optional.
January 29th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
When I came to Australia 25 years ago, going topless on the beach was absolutely standard. You could walk along a popular beach, such as Bondi or Manly, and the number of bikini tops could be counted on the fingers of one hand. For a young man arriving from the relatively repressed conditions inBritain, this was truly a delight. Fortunately, my young wife was equally taken with the practice, and was soon showing of with the best of them.
Regrettably, the situation is now reversed. The number of topless girls can now be counted…
All part of the conservative wave that has flooded Australia in recent years.
July 20th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Hi
I go to beaches around Sydney a lot. I like to sunbathe topless, and I tend toward the bigger beaches like Bondi, or isolated spots (although sometimes this can be dangerous - you do meet an occasional creep!). At beaches with lots of kids I find most of the girls keep their tops on.
I thought I’d share a funny story with you all too. I was at the beach once, sunbaking topless, and I noticed a guy checking me out. I don’t want to sound narcissistic, but that’s not unusual when I sunbathe topless and I guess most girls who sunbake topless would say the same thing.
Anyway, I just ignored him and let him have his pleasure, but after a minute or so a little kid about 3 years old ran up to him, then looked at me, and said “Daddy, are that girl’s boobs as sexy as Mummy’s?”
“Dad” spluttered a bit and wandered off carrying the child. I went for a swim and chuckled about what Dad’s answer might be.