If you notice a lot more naked breasts in your neighborhood on Sunday, there’s good reason: Aug. 28 is Go Topless Day this year, when women worldwide doff their tops for a cause.
But aside from an abundance of exposed breast-flesh, what does it all mean?
Don’t worry, TheWrap is here to guide you through the sea of unfettered boobs and give you the lowdown on it all.
So what is Go Topless Day, anyway?
Now in its ninth year, Go Topless Day is an annual protest held by those who believe that women should have the same right as men to go topless in public. This involves women parading around without their tops and, sometimes, men wearing bikini tops to show sympathy for the cause.
Is it always on Aug. 28?
No. A moveable breast-feast of sorts, it’s held every year on the Sunday closest to Aug. 26, also known as Women’s Equality Day. On Go Topless Day, the shirts come off and parades are held in the quest for flesh-baring equality.
Where is this happening, anyway?
The website for GoTopless says that protests/pride parades this year will be held in cities including New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Paris, Berlin and more than 60 other cities throughout the world. For Hollywood denizens, the closest location is Venice Beach, where the parade will begin at 2 p.m. at Navy St./Boardwalk and make its way to Windward Circle.
Do women really go topless at these things?
Yes — but your mileage may vary, depending on where you live. While GoTopless notes that the majority of states in the U.S. now have “top freedom,” a dozen or so states are ambiguous on the matter, and a handful outright ban public female toplessness. In addition, some cities have local ordinances forbidding the practice. You might want to prepare for pasties and/or electrical tape to come into play.
Who’s behind this whole thing?
Now that’s an interesting question. GoTopless was founded in 2007 by Maitreya Rael, who is also the spiritual leader of the Raelian Movement. In addition to topless equality, the movement also maintains a firm belief that life on Earth was created by extraterrestrials called Elohim.