Manly Bosoms Indecent

1934: Coney Island police continued to crack down on male bathers who adopted the new fashion of topless bathing suits.

As for the female bathers:

Asked specifically about the fashionable trunk and brassiere top for ladies, the Coney Island lieutenant dropped the receiver, and apparently sought information from one of his assistants. He came back with the answer that he did not know what a brassiere is.
"But if it's indecent we won't allow it," he said.

Windsor Star - May 15, 1934

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Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over forty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. Contact Us

Posted By: Alex - Mon Apr 05, 2021
Category: Censorship, Bluenoses, Taboos, Prohibitions and Other Cultural No-No’s | Fashion | Swimming, Snorkeling, and Diving | 1930s

Comments

We tend to forget that the general acceptance of male “toplessness” in public is relatively recent. Little surprise, then, that we haven’t yet extended the privilege to women (at least in the US).

Posted by Brian on 04/07/21 at 01:47 PM

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