Men can take their shirts off for hot days and exercise. Why can't women do the same in 2025?

It’s legal where I live, but nobody does it cause women don’t wanna be stared at and cat called when they’re walking around titties out

They also don’t want to be photographed and end up with their tits all over social media. Places where this used to be routine (European beaches and so on) there is a lot less of this than 30 years ago. Another thing mobiles phones and social media have made worse

In much of Europe and North America, female toplessness is legal. As for why women don't take advantage of it when exercising, breast movement varies from annoyance to uncomfortable and throwing off momentum depending upon size. As a result, many women exercise wearing what is most convenient: a sports-bra top. However, concerns about harassment are sadly valid.

Women are the majority of voting age adults, but they aren't a homogeneous group voting exclusively on gender. 45% of women voted for Trump in 2024.

As a male who exercises in high heat on occasion (35-38c), I have never once thought that I'd rather be naked. I wear breathable, light colored clothing. I also wear a top. Sun burns aren't healthy.

In my experience (as a trans woman who has experienced both sides of this coin), I can no longer get away with being topless in most situations. However, I can get away with wearing less in more situations. It's acceptable for me to wear a short cut, sleeveless tank top or boob tube in situations where it would be difficult for a guy to wear a singlet or other sleeveless top.

Vice versa, they can't wear skirts for hot days, but gals can.

The answer is imho, holdovers from more sexist days, and a general attitude of not wanting to be seen as effeminate/photographed by creeps.

Even though guys have been wearing kilts for many years, in various cultures; and there's AI slop now anyway that keeps 'em busy instead.

Iirc it's also allowed in some countries. Naturism is bigger in them.

For what it's worth I think it's kinda weird for other guys to not wear a shirt in public, like dude what are you doing, put your shirt on.

In some countries you can, I believe Canada is one of them... at least I believe it's legal to do so in Toronto.

I live in Ontario, Canada, where it's perfectly legal for women to be topless.

I've never actually seen anyone exercise that right (at least in person), but it's a right.

Aside from men being horny in the 1800s

Men aren't horny now?

So I get that socially in most places it is not acceptable for women to go totally topless. We can argue about double standards, but I'll let other people do that.

What I actually have noticed is that nowadays in a lot of Western cultures, women can get away with just wearing just a bra with no shirt in public. No, it's still not being totally topless, but it is a lot better heat-wise than wearing both a bra and then a shirt on top. Just it can't be like lingerie, but more like a sports bra or something. I've done it when heading into a shop after going for a run and not gotten any complains. I see others just occasionally walking around in something a sports bra when it's hot out, not even relating to intense exercise. Try it.

They can, but harassment from men keeps lots of women from doing so. We already get harassed when we're covered.

I would prefer if men didn't do that either.

There are quite a lot of places where women can go topless. They just choose not to.

It's legal in most the US states too.

There was a movement to decriminalise women being topless (because it is actively criminalised in a lot of places). Unfortunately it's fallen off. It's particularly ridiculous because women are the ones who have an actual need to expose their breasts in public, ie some women need to breastfeed—no men need to.

Some people get turned on seeing topless men but it's not a sex crime for men to be shirtless in public. Free the nipple 2025

The enlightened masses constitute a percentage of the total population far lower than you'd think

In many countries in public spaces women can be topless wherever men can. Sadly it doesn't mean they feel safe/comfortable doing so.

Man here

If you ladies wanna walk around shirtless at the gym and work out I personally have no objection and I promise I won't say a word to you.

However you are going get looks, a lot of them.

Legally, a lot of places it's been court tested, and you actually can. Culturally, it's just kind of that way. Hair is banned in Arabia, tits can hang out in Papua New Guinea. The West says no boobs but hair is fine.

A genital covering is the only cultural universal, although it can sometimes be overly revealing by Western standards, like with penis gourds.

They can in Canada.

They can in many areas but chose not to. So you’d have to ask them why they don’t when they can. Why aren’t they setting an example for the other areas? Like New York I believe allows women to go topless. The Empire State. Home of the biggest or at least most populous state in America and they don’t do it.

Honestly, I don't think it is the men saying you can't be topless. It's other women. I am pretty sure that even though I would get used to boobs everywhere, I would still be in a generally better mood. Boobs just make most guys happy. I don't know if it would make women who are attracted to women happy too, but maybe.

Tbh, I'd much prefer if no one did.

Because of creeps, freaks, and prudes

As a cis male, I'm totally in favor of this idea.

In fact, I went to school in Germany and I was throwing a frisbee with some friends in the park. It was a beautiful summer day, which was rare, and I retrieved the disc that landed near an attractive young lady sunning herself topless. I still think of her fondly.

In Australia nudity depends on the context. Like it's probably ok at the beach, but less ok most other places.

Not having boobs myself... isn't it uncomfortable just having them swinging around everywhere like if you're exercising?

A matter of social acceptability in general. Some societies, moreso before Western norms became widespread, don't view the breasts in a sexual way and a woman going topless would be completely unremarkable.

Other than the breasts, some societies see the legs as very sexual, so they always cover the legs in public.

I think it would be more likely to change in a female-dominant society, but they could just as well not change it for no obvious reason. I'm sure there's some nuance I'm glossing over, but even though it's legal for me to go out in my underwear as a man in a male-dominated society, I wouldn't do so voluntarily, regardless of the temperature.

TIT SWEAT Need a bra to soak up the pools.

Most people haven't had a thought since high school.

They can (Canada) but they don't because guys think with their hormones.

At least a little bit of it is because moving around with large breasts and no bra can be painful if they swing or flop the wrong way. I almost never see this brought up whenever this tired question gets brought up online.

Also would you rather try to lead a one (or few) woman crusade against hundreds of years of social conditioning about what'a sexual or not, while dealing with even more guys being creeps, or would you rather wear a shirt (and a bra) and a skirt and get on with your damn life? You can walk around however you want in your own place.

You know why. What the heck kind of question is that?

Men. That's why.

You know, I've been in places with lots of nudity, and for the first day or so all you want to do is look. Then after that you stop looking and it just becomes normal. I imagine if women going topless was more common, guys would not look any more than they currently do.

because patriarchy only sees women as sexual objects.

They can where I live.

They don't.

Because men. And very aggressive lesbians too, I'm guessing, but mainly men.

Because there was a movement to make it socially acceptable for men in the 20th century that was successful while the equivalent one for women has been slower, but also has seen some successes resulting in places like New York, New York and Columbus, Ohio permitting female toplessness in public.

Afaik they can. At least in NM.

It's legal to be completely naked where I live, that doesn't mean that it's socially acceptable or that it won't count as "disturbing the order"(not what it's called legally, but it's tricky to translate into English well, "förargelseväckande beteende").

But it isn't illegal to be naked😃. So they can, but they don't, usually

Religions ocntrol sexuality to achieve greater control over society. So, there's a massive religious stigma to topless women. Mostly religious men and women want to keep women covered up.

Older women don't like younger women showing their breasts, due to normal aging. As long as relatively older women have more power than younger women, they'll keep the topless stigma in place.

During our CrossFit workouts, about 30%-50% of the guys and girls all ditch their shirts. Yes, the women are in sports bras, though the effect is similar and very much the norm.

Women compensate by only wearing the shortest of shorts during winter while men cover their ankles.

Reading the comments made me wonder how people react to elderly people in a female body and those considered unattractive who go topless. It's probably still harassment?

Where I am it is frowned upon with men going topless in public spaces unless it is a beach or some private area or they are doing heavy work in particularly hot weather and not just regular spring or summer. It is tolerated but barely so that men are running or exercising without a shirt. Women with just a sport bra or even a bikini top are quite common though, both in exercise and even in town. Personally I think it is equally tacky to be undressed like that regardless of gender, but I'm not really bothered enough to care. It would be considered very rude and sexist to comment on a women in bikini top to dress up though, unless it was upon entry to a space or venue where people are expected to wear appropriate clothes. Clubs tolerate women in barely tops but would not accept a man bare chested.

In business it is expected that men are fully dressed and buttoned to regardless the temperature while women can wear whatever clean and neat that is not showing off too much skin. In casual situations women can have any amount of cleavage but if a man buttons down the shirt so that the top hairs of his chest are showing it is an open invitation for ridicule for trying to be macho even if it is obviously for trying to cool down in 35°C weather. Unbuttoning a shirt all the way is a definitive no-no unless you're a teen or a country bumpkin.

On beaches anybody can be wearing anything though on regular beaches some sort of bottoms are mandatory. From tiny string bottoms only to shorts or swimming suit to burqini. In "proper" sauna you are not allowed swimsuits or shorts at all for hygiene reasons but in public sauna they are mandatory.

So, you see, it is not binary good and bad and humans and society is more complicated than men horny.

The machines consider the human body, and especially the body's organs related to sexual reproduction as inherently obscene.

The machine believes harm is caused by the sight of these organs and it wishes them to remain hidden under treath of state sanctions until such time as they can be removed.

It seems over the last 15 years a lot of effort has been put into a movement towards changing the laws in the U.S.

source- Wikipedia

Do it

Wear a mesh sports bra?

We can but most of the time you kinda feel wierd. excpetion is beach or pool or whatnot or if you are doing heavy labor. With labor I think people feel guilty to give any looks or whatnot. You know freeweight areas to but I think that is because it is so male dominated.

There's fewer women than men up until elderly age.
The only way you can take your shirt off for hot days and exercise without getting too much male attention, is when there's enough female competition that men can't take off theirs.
But that also means in bars, churches, libraries, online dating sites, everywhere.

Female nipples can get erect when aroused.

[edit]
I see the arguments that male nipples can get erect too,
but female ones are far more visible than that of men.

If male nipples got erect like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE9wNkE820w
I would want shirtless men banned too.