A woman sunbathes on the beach during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival in May 2009
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"There aren't any rules, but, yeah, it's true when you're at the beach and look around--the only topless women anymore are older," said Elodie, 19, during a recent visit to Paris Plage, an artificial beach that city authorities create along the Seine each summer. Elodie pointed out that the risk of a fine--and frequently lousy weather--makes going topless at Paris Plage a nonstarter. When she was asked whether she went topless at the beach while on vacation--and what factors made her decide when she did and didn't--Elodie's reply was as chilly as it was logical. "All those things," she said, "are personal concerns."
The contrast with U.S. practices is hard not to notice. Many American women visiting France these days have few qualms about going topless--and that's not counting the exhibitionism on display closer to home during Mardi Gras and spring break. In some ways, the puritanical swimsuit now seems to be on the other torso--a new French squeamishness that will doubtless leave some Americans, well, titillated.
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