Boobies or no boobies? Brigitte Bardot likes the idea. Photo: Crobis
The rich stank of cannabis fills the air (always), the homeless regularly shit in public, and if you’ve never been asked to listen to some guy’s bunk-ass reggaeton mix-tape, you simply haven’t spent enough time here. This is Venice Beach. The Wild West. Anything goes here. Anything except nudity. Ever since 1974, at least.
If you’ve ever had to the opportunity to really get to know Venice – the Venice beyond the ironically half-naked street performers and vendors – then you might just ask yourself: What would a few topless women really do to Venice Beach? Should women be able to sunbathe topless, just as men do? The Venice Neighborhood Council seems to think they should.
Last week, the Venice Neighborhood Council motioned 12-2 to support women who wish to sunbathe topless at the beach. Venice Council Community Officer and sponsor of the resolution, Melissa Diner, told the Los Angeles Times, “I think this is a serious equality issue, and I’m not going to shy away from it.” Currently, the city and county of Los Angeles prohibits nude and topless sunbathing, but the local neighborhood council is writing to the L.A City Council for Venice to be exempted.
Venice Beach on a typical summer afternoon.
“Venice Beach was founded and designed around the European culture of Venice, Italy,” the council continued. “Topless [sun]bathing is commonplace throughout Europe, much of the rest of the world and many places within the U.S.”
Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time the conversation of nudity has come up in Venice Beach. In 1974, sunbathing in your birthday suit was allowed. However, Venice’s laissez-faire approach to eliminating tan lines ended as soon as it began. It turned out the legislation was attracting a new kind of tourist. Nipple-thirsty, photo-taking “weirdos,” as Yo Venice put it. “News crews swarmed. Helicopters hovered. Lifeguards found themselves rescuing people with nothing material to grasp. Lascivious men in leisure suits showed up carrying cameras with telephoto lenses,” the L.A Times reported.
Opposers of the council’s endeavors are wary of a similar situation resurfacing if topless sunbathing were allowed on Venice Beach. But is what happened in 1974 a good reason to forbid it today? Venice Beach has changed A LOT since 1974. Therefore, it’s imperative to be asking ourselves honest questions that are relevant to Venice Beach in 2015. Not 1974. Not Europe or other topless-tolerant countries and cities around the world, but Venice Beach at this very moment.
The truth of the matter is there are much worse things happening in Venice Beach than a pair of tits. A LOT worse. And if you’re the type of parent who worries about their children being exposed to areolas, you shouldn’t be taking them there in the first place. Venice Beach isn’t exactly the best/safest place for children. And for those who are concerned that Venice will be infiltrated by staring perverts or “weirdos,” as so many people like to call them, I have a news flash for you: they are already here. They’ve been here and they will stay here. It’s part of what makes Venice Beach what it is. Plus, any dingus with a smart phone these days can whip up much worse than a pair of titties… and don’t even get me started on the Internet.
