French women say Non to nude sunbathing
NICE – The beaches where Brigitte Bardot first introduced the world to topless sunbathing are undergoing a mass cover up as French women ditch their penchant for a little harmless nudity, says telegraph.co.uk.
According to reports coming from France, sunbathers on the Cote d’Azur, who once adopted a “laissez faire” attitude to nakedness, have turned against displaying too much bare flesh.
Even regulars at La Voile Rouge beach club on Pampelonne’s Beach, in St. Tropez, where it all started shortly after Bardot’s’ film And God Created Woman, prefer to keep their top on.
The development has sparked a minor debate in the country which has always prided itself on being less prudish than its Anglo-Saxon neighbours.
For some it is simply a change in fashion, for others it marks a new conservatism sweeping France. Yet others say it is to do with increased health concerns about skin cancer and sensitivities to the growing Muslim community.
“It is seen as a bit vulgar now,” said Sabina Hourdin, 38, from Paris, holidaying in St Tropez. “It is like mini-skirts. You don’t show your legs any more, you cover them up more.”
Ian Jarrett
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