Posted on 2/1/2005, 2:38:54 PM by presidio9
CALGARY - A study into why women flashed crowds of Calgary Flames fans during last year's NHL playoffs should shed light on current Canadian attitudes about female nudity, says a Calgary professor.
"There are gender role issues here," said Mary Valentich, of the University of Calgary's Faculty of Social Work.
"These women are doing something unconventional and yet they're using the traditional sexual route to express whatever they're expressing." advertisement
She said Ontario student Gwen Jacobs started the ball rolling in 1991 when she was convicted of indecency for walking bare-breasted down a street in Guelph, Ont. She was protesting the inequality of a law that allowed men to take their shirts off in public and not women.
Five years later the Ontario Appeal Court reversed her conviction.
"It took Gwen Jacobs in Ontario to protest by taking off her shirt on a hot summer day and she had five years of legal troubles," said Valentich.
At a sex research forum last fall, Valentich heard a report on Canadian attitudes towards female toplessness that suggested that while most Canadians were comfortable with women baring their breasts at the beach, they were ill at ease when it was done on the street.
Further proof that Canadians are still favouring a more Victorian attitude about female toplessness came from a handful of phone calls Valentich received from the Calgary public.
"Certainly I've received my share of nasty phone calls already about even wanting to ask women what their experience was like," chuckled Valentich.
"There are clearly prohibitions in Canadian society about even talking about matters that are sexual. Think about women that are breastfeeding (in public) - there are still people who are invariably upset and are uncomfortable about this," she said.
Valentich is seeking women who flashed crowds of fans last spring along Calgary's famous Red Mile - the site of huge parties and celebrations as the Calgary Flames marched into the Stanley Cup final.
When Valentich was questioned by reporters about the behaviour of the women, she realized she didn't have any answers.
"I finally thought this is unfair to the women. I need to be able to have better data to respond more accurately," Valentich said.
The research will be released at the World Congress of Sexology being held in Montreal in July.
There are several possible scenarios as to why these women were lifting their tops including peer pressure, said Valentich who spent a bit of time on the Red Mile herself last year.
"Some women didn't do it so clearly there are still lines that were drawn. Some women chose to cross over the boundary - others didn't. What was the difference?", she said.
There is also the question of whether there were any short or long term consequences from the act and whether the booze and party atmosphere played a role.
"People mention drinking almost invariably, but I would say there's a lot of drinking going on in a lot of circles and people don't always engage in this kind of behaviour," said Valentich.
The professor declined to say how many women have contacted her to take part in the anonymous study so far, but she needs between 10 and 15 participants.
Valentich said women have flashed their breasts at folk festivals and other musical events in the past, but it is not an activity usually associated with hockey.
"We need to hear from women what was happening to them in that particular setting," she said.
Liberal academia ping!
Alright, where are the pictures? I will not believe this without proof...
This thread is worthless without pictures.
I need a link to examine those breasteses in order to make sure that they aren't fakes...
Thought this might be of interest to you.
They get to do a study on this??? I went into the wrong field...
Probably they learned about how bare skin can sometimes stick to cold metal.
Research assistant bump.
Just when you think you've heard it all.....
Western Civilization's obsession with mammaries knows no bounds...
Well, they're just going to have to accept it, that's all! (smirk)
This is just a poorly veiled excuse to go around looking at boobs.
That'll liven up the old man bluegrass jam
LOL!
I was in Korea back in the mid-80's out on libo and a fellowJarhead in my unit saw a few of us in a restaurant and tried to moon us. Seems his warm skin stuck to the frozen glass! The whole restaurant was laughing like hell and left him there until one kind soul went out with some hot water to unstick his butt. Awesome.
This is so idiotic.
I think they are expressing the effects of alcohol. Imagine her calling the flashers and asking them why they flashed. "I did WHAT?!?!?!?!?!!!"
"This thread is worthless without pictures."
Only if Said pics are of Saggy hooters. don't need to see the saggy ones - show perky ones only....
(time to go into turret defilade )
Valentich is seeking women who flashed crowds of fans last spring along Calgary's famous Red Mile - the site of huge parties and celebrations as the Calgary Flames marched into the Stanley Cup final.
And when you get them all in one room, then what?
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