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(Sweden:) Women fight for right to bare breasts
www.thelocal.se ^ | 09/20/2007 | Paul O'Mahony

Posted on 09/20/2007 1:39:33 PM PDT by WesternCulture

Two female students are demanding their rights after they were banned from bathing topless at a swimming pool in Uppsala. If girls are forced to wear bikinis, boys should be too, one of the women told The Local.

Ragnhild Karlsson, 22, and her friend Kristin Karlsson, 21, live on the same corridor in a student residence in the university town. On September 5th they took a trip to the Fyrishov leisure complex, where they decided to hop in for a swim without their bikini tops.

Though the pool was full of swimmers, a female lifeguard eventually caught sight of the bare-breasted women and reached for her whistle.

"We had been swimming for a while without anybody paying us any attention when the guards called us to the side and told us to either put on a top or leave. So we left," Ragnhild Karlsson told The Local.

On Wednesday, the two women sent a letter to the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman explaining that they saw no reason for men an women to be treated differently. If anything, a bikini top could be accused of drawing unnecessary attention to a woman's breasts.

"It's a question of equality. I think it's a problem that women are sexualized in this way. If women are forced to wear a top, shouldn't men also have to?"

The two friends said they were surprised when they were approached by the lifeguards.

"We thought it was against the law to treat people differently," said Ragnhild Karlsson, who is studying to be a speech therapist. Her friend Kristin aims to practice occupational therapy.

Staff at the pool later referred to studies showing that crimes of a sexual nature were particularly common in swimming pool environments.

"Surely women should be allowed to decide for themselves whether they need protecting. And is it not strange that women should somehow bear responsibily for sex crimes carried out by men," said Ragnhild Karlsson.

But a spokeswoman for the leisure complex stood by their decision not to allow the women to bathe topless.

"Swimming pools generally require men to wear swimming trunks and women to wear either bikinis or one piece swimsuits," Inger Grotteblad told The Local.

"There are three reasons for this. First, there is a security aspect, then there is a hygiene issue and finally there is what we call 'prevailing manners and customs'. It is above all this last point which is important here," she added.

She also pointed out that the swimming complex always needed to bear in mind the preferences of its guests.

"We have a lot of visitors here, ranging from families with children to the elderly. We also have people from different ethnic backgrounds. We want all of them to be able to enjoy themselves when they come here.

"This issue is new to us and we welcome the debate. It is important that everybody gets to voice their opinion, from families with children to naturists, older people and Muslim women. We have asked our governing body to look into this and hope they will come back to us with recommendations," said Grotteblad.


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: feminism; nudity; sbt; scandinavia; sweden; swedishbikiniteam; swimwear
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To: clamper1797

21 posted on 09/20/2007 1:48:57 PM PDT by FearlessFreep (How dare you break wind before me. Sorry, didn't realize it was your turn.)
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To: PBRSTREETGANG

“LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE...

PLEASE, JUST LEAVE HER ALONE !!!

BOO HOOO HOO”

(All caps required for YouTube effect.)


22 posted on 09/20/2007 1:49:28 PM PDT by afortiori
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To: evets

insufficient data


23 posted on 09/20/2007 1:50:20 PM PDT by Kozak (Anti Shahada: There is no god named Allah, and Muhammed is a false prophet)
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To: WesternCulture

I can pretty much guess these are homosexual women.


24 posted on 09/20/2007 1:52:45 PM PDT by vpintheak (Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked. Prov. 25:26)
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To: WesternCulture
She also pointed out that the swimming complex always needed to bear in mind the preferences of its guests.

 

What kind of place is this that the guests are complaing about topless 20 something Swedish girls 

25 posted on 09/20/2007 1:52:50 PM PDT by grjr21
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To: PBRSTREETGANG

Oh the horror, the horror ...


26 posted on 09/20/2007 1:52:54 PM PDT by Taylor42
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Comment #27 Removed by Moderator

To: evets

Are these the proteatsters? Like another poster said, the ones who demand to do it are usually the ones who are the stick horse spookers.


28 posted on 09/20/2007 1:53:45 PM PDT by small voice in the wilderness ( Bumper sticker idea: Hillary/Obama Nation '08. Let the desolation begin)
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To: WesternCulture
"We had been swimming for a while without anybody paying us any attention when the guards called us to the side and told us to either put on a top or leave.

Well, who knows? Maybe --in their cases-- there wasn't a noticable enough difference between them and "boys" after all, accounting for the fact that it took a while for them to be noticed, and also accounting for their lack of understanding as to why "girls" should be treated differently.

29 posted on 09/20/2007 1:53:57 PM PDT by Southside_Chicago_Republican
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To: WesternCulture

But you can’t get milk from a guy’s chest.


30 posted on 09/20/2007 1:54:53 PM PDT by wastedyears (George Orwell was a clairvoyant.)
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To: WesternCulture

Foto: Rolf Hamilton Ragnhild Karlsson och Kristin Karlsson.

These two Swedish babes (?) wanting to go bare breasted is NOT what I had in mind while reading this story

I'm surprised the lifeguard didn't ask them to cover up their faces also

31 posted on 09/20/2007 1:54:58 PM PDT by Popman (Nothing + Time + Chance = The Universe ---------------------Bridge in Brooklyn for sale - Cheap)
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To: WesternCulture

Like they don’t have enough of a rape problem..


32 posted on 09/20/2007 1:55:37 PM PDT by TASMANIANRED (TAZ:Untamed, Unpredictable, Uninhibited.)
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To: Popman

33 posted on 09/20/2007 1:56:30 PM PDT by evets (beer)
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To: PBRSTREETGANG

CLOSE ENOUGH!


34 posted on 09/20/2007 1:57:13 PM PDT by wolfcreek (The Status Quo Sucks!)
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To: Popman

The one on the right’s kinda’ OK, but is that her little brother in the photo?


35 posted on 09/20/2007 1:57:57 PM PDT by Freedom_no_exceptions (No actual, intended, or imminent victim = no crime. No exceptions.)
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To: WesternCulture

We need visual evidence to establish guilt or innocence!


36 posted on 09/20/2007 1:58:06 PM PDT by doorgunner69
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To: PBRSTREETGANG
Sure, give ‘em all a fake blonde wig, some tan-in-a-can and pose them naked standing on tippy toes in front of a Sweedish flag... and... and... and...

Works for me!

37 posted on 09/20/2007 1:58:32 PM PDT by afortiori
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To: evets

Thank you, sir.

I was hoping somebody would post a pic of the “Muffin-top Twins”.


38 posted on 09/20/2007 1:59:22 PM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilisation is aborting, buggering, and contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: Popman

Acckkk! If that is the evidence, I say guilty!


39 posted on 09/20/2007 1:59:23 PM PDT by doorgunner69
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To: PBRSTREETGANG

That is one lucky flag.


40 posted on 09/20/2007 2:00:02 PM PDT by doodad
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