Essay/Term paper: Arrested topless

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Argumentative Essays

Argumentative Essay


In the summer of 1996 Gwen Jacobs enjoyed a topless summer stroll during which she was seen by a local O.P.P officer, was apprehended and subsequently charged with indecent exposure. Gwen Jacobs pleaded not guilty in court and won the right to go topless in Ontario. This incident brought up an excellent question: should women be allowed to go topless on public beaches and in other public areas? The answer is strictly no, women should not be allowed to go topless anywhere outside of their own home.
One of the many reasons why I believe that women should not be allowed to go topless is with respect to the safety of women. Men and boys have, in recent years, been using short, tight, skirts and shirts as an excuse for rape or date rape. Men have said that the girl was wearing a tight shirt and short skirt and it was obvious that she was easy and wanted the attention. This statement leads me to my next point.
The average human being upon first contact with a stranger bases his initial impression of that person solely on the person"s appearance. This is only natural as the only thing that we know about this stranger is what we see of them the first time we meet. We all are aware of the sayings "Preppy","Jockish","Skater","Sluty" etc. This final saying, "Sluty" is interpreted by 90 percent of North Americans as a tight skirt and tight tank top which happens to be the usual ensemble of a prostitute. This first impression of a girl in nothing but a skirt and a bare chest will no doubt elevate to the new version of a "Slut" and a girl that wants it.
My second point is, what kind of questions will a mother be asked by her son when he sees a half nude woman walking down the street. The first question that this child will ask is why do these women have no shirt on and you do? Your reply will be well ahhh go talk to your father. This dilemma will no doubt be brought about as these and other questions about the sexual nature of the body will be put forth by young children. Questions that you as a parent do not feel should be answered truthfully to such a young child.
My third point begins thousands of years ago when man first walked on the earth. When man first walked he hunted and his wife(clothless) cleaned the game and took care of the young. As centuries have progressed women have stepped forth into a new era of equal rights. We"ve seen the first women doctors, astronauts, business owners and many other firsts in numerous professions. Women have made giant leaps when it comes to respect from men in their professional field. This respect which women have been fighting for over the past century, is on the verge of collapse. Women seem to be taking this new law allowing them to go topless to an extreme. Walking their dogs, walking on the beach and strolling through public places with no tops on. This display of nudity, in the average person"s eyes, whether they admit to it or not, will cause men to look down again on women. If, for example, the first woman astronaut (Sally Ride) were to start going topless in public places it would be plastered on the front page of every newspaper. This in turn would lead to her fellow colleagues looking down on her. This would be a giant step backwards in respect to equal rights for women.
Following the changes to this law allowing women to go topless our cities will slowly begin to diverge into places that encourage nudity and places that do not encourage nudity. Our economy will begin to collapse, as store owners appalled by this nudity will be forced to close their stores and move, if this nudity is surrounding them. This also applies to stores that want to have workers that want to go topless, they will be forced to relocate to places of nudity. As this begins to happen slowly our cities will become two sided and our economy"s stability will collapse beneath our feet. An excellent example of this situation is taking place in Quebec. A law in Quebec states that a women may work in nothing less than lingerie. So a Quebec barber shop run by a well endowed women decided to charge an extra ten dollars per haircut and she"d remove her shirt so they could watch her cut their hair in just a bra. She also charged an extra fifteen to remove her bottoms so she had only her underwear on. This new business skyrocketed and now there is currently 15 of these hair dressers presently in Quebec. The neighborhoods surrounding these barbershops are appalled by what is going on and many people have relocated there families away from this nudity.
In conclusion to the question: should women be allowed to go topless in public places? It has been clearly shown that women should not be allowed to go topless anywhere outside of their own home.