Seconded.
Posted on 05/21/2008 9:54:10 PM PDT by WesternCulture
Women will continue to be barred from bathing topless at an indoor pool in the central Swedish town of Enköping following a decision by the town council’s recreation committee on Tuesday.
Prior to the decision, committee member Stefan Brandberg cited concerns about the health of young girls in his opposition to the proposed lifting of the ban.
“We believe that it can contribute to anorexia—there is a risk for that,” he said to the newspaper Expressen.
Monica Hällgren, chair of the Enköping recreation committee, confirmed that one of the central arguments for leaving the ban in place was concern over the potential for topless women bathing to create conditions which could lead to a spike in eating disorders.
“We feel that topless bathing contributes to a preoccupation with people’s bodies and that isn’t something to which we felt the municipality wanted to contribute,” she told The Local.
According to Hällgren, the council had taken up the question after receiving an email from a man who complained that banning topless bathing by women while allowing men to swim bare-chested amounted to discrimination.
The issue of women going topless in public pools has received a great deal of attention in Sweden in recent months after two bare-breasted young women were kicked out of swimming pool in Uppsala last autumn.
Outraged by what they considered discrimination, a group of women in southern Sweden established the Bara Bröst network to demonstrate their solidarity with the women.
The network, whose name translates both as 'Bare Breasts' and 'Just Breasts', was mentioned in the discrimination complaint sent to public officials in Enköping.
However, there was little actual debate when the committee decided that the ban should remain in place.
“It was a unanimous decision,” said Hällgren.
She emphasized that the ban only applies to the town’s one indoor pool and that, as of now there is nothing stopping women from going topless at any municipal outdoor pools.
“I understand why people want to go topless outside when they have the sun to consider,” she added.
“But we couldn’t think of any reason why someone would need to be topless at the indoor pool…it’s a place for families, after all.”
“We believe that it can contribute to anorexia—there is a risk for that,”
- Being Swedish myself, I can testify our politicians are admirable in the way they are experts of more or less everything.
please don’t post pictures of those two women. if i remember correctly, they were hideous in appearance. :)
A novel defense, but how about those who have issues with their bodies simply stop swimming in public. If they insist on swimming in public, I didn't see anything that would prevent them from wearing a suit that covered their breasts.
What's the problem here? If the local culture allows topless pretty much every other bathing place, and they want this place to be special, they should get honest and just say that.
Sounds like a hidden agenda at work.
“please don’t post pictures of those two women. if i remember correctly, they were hideous in appearance. :)”
- They were indeed. All Swedish women are not beautiful.
There are feminists in all countries.
I think you're safe. Bare boobies are verboten on FR posts anyway. Even hideous ones.
There's so much one could do with that headline, and all of it is wrong, wrong, wrong...
“There’s so much one could do with that headline, and all of it is wrong, wrong, wrong...”
- I agree. However, being in the possession of a vivid imagination and creative verbal skills is nothing wrong per se.
At considerable personal sacrifice, I volunteer to serve on that board.
I wonder if there are any dues? Or maybe, some type of hazing ritual to join? Hmmmmm..
“At considerable personal sacrifice, I volunteer to serve on that board.”
Enköpings kommun
Kungsgatan 42
745 80 Enköping
Tel: +46171-62 50 00
Tel Info center: +46171-62 54 75
E-mail: information@enkoping.se
LOL! Unfortunately, politicians in America suffer from this same expertise.
I know, why not public nudity all the time? The few of us who find that to be a symptom of insanity can just avoid public pools.
- Swedish politicians aren't really that unique perhaps..
I wonder where in this world one can find politicians with a bit of a humble approach.
Venezuela?
Zimbabwe?
Not really. Even in Tibet, a part of the world often associated with spiritual maturity, political leaders believe they actually are “experts of more or less everything” - look at Dalai Lama :D
Headline of the Week alert!
If they were Italian it would not be an issue.
Hopefully not near any street intersections. Recipe for disaster.
Seconded.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.