Whether it’s social media’s ban on female nipples or women being fined for public nudity, it seems like women are constantly told to cover up while their male counterparts are free to trot around topless.
The ever-progressive city of Berlin has now addressed that discrepancy in its public pools, revealing that it will treat all nipples equally going forward.
The move, which has been celebrated as a step towards gender equality, came after a female swimmer was prevented from taking a topless dip back in December 2022. After she lodged a formal complaint with the city’s ombudsman’s office for anti-discrimination, the authorities agreed that she was a victim of discrimination and have since ruled that all visitors to Berlin’s pools would be allowed to splash around topless.
Berlin isn’t the only German city to allow everyone to enjoy the freedom and fresh air of a topless swim. Back in April 2022, Göttingen became the first German city to loosen its regulations around topless swimming, after a swimmer who identified as male was turned away from a public pool for wanting to swim with their chest bare.
The new measure goes hand-in-hand with Germany’s famous love of Freikörperkultur, which translates to ‘free body culture’ and dates back to the nineteenth century. The concept originates from the belief that being naked and letting your body freely interact with air and sunlight promotes a healthier life and a better society.
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