Equal time: Women hold topless march in Maine
"PORTLAND, Maine – About two dozen women drew a crowd of onlookers when they shed their shirts and marched downtown in Maine's largest city to promote what they call equal-opportunity public toplessness." Read More
While tracking odd news I have noticed this sort of protest more and more. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is becoming notorious for using naked or half naked women to promote their cause. Whoever is advising these women to get naked for a cause is either naively not thinking this thing through, or is an exhibitionist themselves, or is some sort of chauvinist who has devised a way to get liberal chicks to show off their privates.
If this socio-political strategy of getting naked for a cause is a serious attempt to promote a cause, then it is not well thought through. Yes, men will pay attention to just about any topless or fully naked women. Some of my gender have even been known to have wrecks while surveying sorority car wash fundraisers where everyone is technically legally dressed appropriately. The comedian, Ron White tells a humorous story about an older biker chick offering to show him her breasts. White comments that he accepted the offer because "once you have seen one pair of breast, . . . you feel like you got to see them all." So clearly, many men take note of and are attracted to the female form. That part of the analysis is accurate - people, particularly men, will stop whatever they are doing to pay attention to female nudity.
However, this socio-political strategy falls completely apart immediately after that part. When women get naked for a cause, men notice the women but, usually don't have a clue that there is some sort of cause that goes with the nudity. Ladies if the men seem supportive, they are supporting the fact that you are naked, not your cause. Before you PETA ladies start calling men pigs, you need to remember that disrobing in front of men tends to shut down higher cerebral functions in favor of our more primitive "animal" brain. I might also note that PETA is all about protecting animals and hey, pigs are animals too.
So getting naked for some causes, like PETA's projects, is probably not good strategy. Unless your cause is "your right to get naked in public," like those Maine women in the Odd News Awarded article above. Even if "your right to get naked in public" is your cause, my personal experience tells me that you ladies may be getting the men on board, so to speak, but their wives and girlfriends often are ready-made opponents of your cause.
While this socio-political strategy of getting naked for a cause seems to be more and more popular, I doubt that it will achieve the desired results. But hey, if it makes people happy, maybe it's not all that bad.
