Comments on: Topless Ladies in NYC

Topless Ladies in NYC

frecklefaerie — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 21:16:34 -0800

A Gallery of Topless Women on the Streets of New York (nsfw) - Jordan Matter's photographs are alternately stunning, striking, inspiring, and provocative.

By: jeresig

jeresig — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 21:29:01 -0800

As a side note, this post led me to look into the topic of Topfreedom - of which NYC is one of the few places in America that allows women to go topless in public areas.

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 21:39:42 -0800

Love this write-up, thanks frecklefaerie! I was wondering about that, jeresig - go NYC!

By: maxwelton

maxwelton — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 21:58:32 -0800

Texas? Really. Wow. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone was a lot less prudish? Of course, we're still the country of the hoohaw dialogs...

By: frecklefaerie

frecklefaerie — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 21:59:39 -0800

Cool stuff there, jeresig. Thanks!

By: isopraxis

isopraxis — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:04:27 -0800

3£33717$ |\|¥. ¥0µ® ƒ4\/0®173 (µp $123 $µ)()(0®$!

By: frecklefaerie

frecklefaerie — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:09:49 -0800

Alvy - I was really into the write-ups, myself. Sometimes with personal photos (I'm thinking of that "I like my face" photo/essay link from awhile back) the commentary can seem either too flippant or too arty. In this gallery I found the text to strike the right reverent yet conversive tone.

By: rhapsodie

rhapsodie — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:13:22 -0800

This is beautiful.

By: mazola

mazola — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:37:39 -0800

I ♥ N Y

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:38:25 -0800

Everything should be this great all the time.

By: rolypolyman

rolypolyman — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:42:33 -0800

Site.... is... so... slow.....

By: afflatus

afflatus — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:50:45 -0800

There is some fantastic photography in there and equally wonderful write ups. I love photos that seem to have a story and then finding a bit of the story that goes along with it. And speaking of the topfree movement (a new term for me, btw), I lived in Eugene, Oregon for 12 years where it is legal for women to be topless in public. That right wasn't generally exercised all that often, but sometimes it was to great effect. Symantec (of Norton antivirus fame) had a big office right downtown. At one point there was a todo where topless women were asked to leave the parking lot or some such and it become a minor cause celebre. Topless women were gathering on the sidewalks and shaking their breasts at the ground floor windows for several days. A truly wonderful sight and almost (but not quite) made me wish I worked for Symantec. I think that an exec from the company finally figured out how to mollify the protesters, acknowledging their legal standing, etc. Then Symantec bolted for a suburban industrial park in the next town over :) I know it had little to do with the protest, but I think that most large companies just don't know what to do when threatened by womens breasts. A symptom of rotten corporate culture. Only write up of the incident I could find online was here at CNet

By: Listener

Listener — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:54:47 -0800

Cool. This should happen more often. People are usually so freaky about the body, which is understandable, but it's nice to get over it. So many surprises, e.g. Asking cop to assist with map. Yeah, the site is soooo slow right now.

By: newfers

newfers — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 23:07:57 -0800

Boobies!

By: lostburner

lostburner — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 23:16:19 -0800

"Striking" really is. There's a lot going on in that picture, and it makes me wonder about the story. Great photography. Great post.

By: wobh

wobh — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 23:20:44 -0800

That one dude is going to totally lose that chess game.

By: equalpants

equalpants — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 23:48:25 -0800

Dude, speaking of people being freaked out about the body, what's up with this guy? Awesome stuff, thanks.

By: NewBornHippy

NewBornHippy — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 23:59:13 -0800

Really cool. From the nuts and bolts section:

Bring eight to ten tops, though we won't use that many.

LOL.

By: phrontist

phrontist — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 00:45:29 -0800

What hubris, to think that cloth could ever be more beautiful than the skin.

By: phrontist

phrontist — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 00:45:45 -0800

What hubris, to think that cloth could ever be more beautiful than the skin it covers.

By: ZenMasterThis

ZenMasterThis — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 00:57:31 -0800

NYC is one of the few places in America that allows women to go topless in public areas. I'm pretty sure that's a NY state law.

By: Target Practice

Target Practice — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 01:06:44 -0800

I figured they just didn't have enough cops to enforce indecent exposure laws. I'd like to look at the site, but it's slower than molasses running uphill in an Alaskan December. The one photo I did see involved a lithe young woman bare-chested in the middle of a light snowstorm. I can't imagine that was very comfortable.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 01:18:58 -0800

I remember the day the law went into effect. Tons of bare breasts on the street. The next day? All clothed and business-as-usual.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 02:01:38 -0800

mazola: "I ♥ N Y" I ♥ titties.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 02:12:24 -0800

All joking aside, that striking link is absolutely fantastic. Presumably, she's a pregnant doctor, taking a break from her shift on a hot, NY day who has just opened up her jacket to let some cool air in. Talk about one picture being worth a thousand words -- I immediately wanted to know more about that woman, and not because she has nice baps, but because that combination of high achiever who isn't constrained by social convention is exactly what floats my boat. However, it's probably a pre-arranged posed shot, and that would be absolutely shit.

By: Cyrano

Cyrano — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 02:32:38 -0800

what's up with this guy? I think that's Joe Rogan.

By: Effigy2000

Effigy2000 — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 02:42:18 -0800

This is awesome. Thanks for the link!

By: bhnyc

bhnyc — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 03:06:53 -0800

here's the case in 1992 that made it legal- New York State v Santorelli

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 03:12:23 -0800

[this is good]

By: Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson

Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 03:17:47 -0800

All of the blurbs with younger, beautiful women are about how they're too fat to be models and actresses. All of the blurbs with older, unattractive women are about loving your body. An interesting pattern.

By: Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson

Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 03:18:41 -0800

(and when I say "all" I mean, you know, most, as a general rule.)

By: ColdChef

ColdChef — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 04:09:22 -0800

*scans for pictures of ThePinkSuperhero, scans for pictures of witchstone I call bullshit on this project!

By: emelenjr

emelenjr — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 04:31:40 -0800

3£33717$ 717$ indeed.

By: debralee

debralee — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 04:57:40 -0800

This was very interesting, especially the write-ups. All those wintery shots have left me feeling quite nipply, though.

By: pax digita

pax digita — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 05:39:22 -0800

Thanks for the mammaries.

By: grouse

grouse — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 05:43:08 -0800

Texas? Really. Wow. You're legally entitled to go beyond being topfree in Texas:

Under Texas law, indecent exposure is defined as exposing the anus or genitals "with intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person ("any person" is often defined as the offender him- or herself). So Austin attorney Stuart Kinard, whom [conceptual artist Katherine] Chronis consulted about her arrest, said that the outcome of her case may depend on whether her anus or labia were actually visible to other people. "I have a very thick bush," said Chronis, "and I was not displaying my genitals in 'a lewd manner.'" As Kinard put it, "That might set her free, because a 36-year-old Eve comes with her own fig leaf." "The law in this particular case is very simple," concluded Kinard. "No Pink, No Clink."

By: dobbs

dobbs — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 05:50:06 -0800

It's legal in Ontario as well but is rarely seen.

By: the sobsister

the sobsister — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 05:55:33 -0800

Metafilter: No Pink, No Clink

By: the sobsister

the sobsister — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 05:58:11 -0800

...or should I say, "no Pink, no Clink?

By: four panels

four panels — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 06:07:25 -0800

I can't tell if its art or just tits. My mind is foggy with a million years of evolutionary impulse.

By: craven_morhead

craven_morhead — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 06:18:20 -0800

Pokey site, but great photography. Thanks.

By: chunking express

chunking express — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 06:23:05 -0800

Women have been able to go topless in Toronto for a while now, though the only time you see topless women on the streets is during the Gay Pride Parade. Lots of naked dudes too.

By: Brandon Blatcher

Brandon Blatcher — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 06:25:05 -0800

Only got to see a few before I got this: Active Server Pages error 'ASP 0113' Script timed out /view.asp The maximum amount of time for a script to execute was exceeded. You can change this limit by specifying a new value for the property Server.ScriptTimeout or by changing the value in the IIS administration tools. Still what I got to see was just great. It wasn't porn, just real women living life and trying to be comfortable. This should be nation, it would probably get rid of lot of sexual hangups.

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 06:34:33 -0800

It's timing out for me altogether.

By: agregoli

agregoli — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 06:37:28 -0800

So where's the gallery of naked men? Has metafilter descended into porn links now?

By: caution live frogs

caution live frogs — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 06:57:44 -0800

RE: Texas: My wife's parents spend the winters in Port Isabel (mainland, across the sound from South Padre Island). As they drive down S. Padre beach towards their favorite fishing spot, they go through a large section marked off as a nude beach. You need 4WD to get there most days, but it is there and quite legal. From what I saw of the nude beach when we went fishing with them, I can conclude that the real issue with nudity in the US is that most of the people who want to be nude seem to be the ones we'd rather not see naked.

By: Brandon Blatcher

Brandon Blatcher — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 07:04:04 -0800

I can conclude that the real issue with nudity in the US is that most of the people who want to be nude seem to be the ones we'd rather not see naked. No, the real issue is thinking that naked people should all look alike. It's about screwed up standards of beauty.

By: grumblebee

grumblebee — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 07:22:10 -0800

I met Jordan a couple of years ago. Actually, my wife met him first. She's an actress, and she went to him to get new headshots taken. During the shoot, they got to talking about his "topless" project. Without thinking about what she was saying, my wife blurted out, "I'll volunteer for that." To which Jordan immediately replied, "Okay, how about tomorrow morning?" To which my wife replied, "gulp!" The next morning was one of the most interesting days of my life. I tagged along to provide moral support and to see the antics. Before going, I'd skeptically thought Jordan was a perv who had found a good angle to get women to take their tops off. But I quickly became convinced that he wasn't like that at all. His interest is vulnerability -- a great subject for a photographer. Though it's true that in NYC, it's legal for women to be topless in public, few women ever actually take their shirts off. So when Jordan gets a woman to do this, she's suddenly very vulnerable, and the photo either captures her raw vulnerability or her attempts to cover it with bravado or whatever. In either case, the results are interesting. I asked him about that other photographer (I forget his name), the one that gets hundreds of people to take their clothes off in a public space. Jordan wasn't a big fan of that guy's work, because it seemed too posed to him. Jordan doesn't like a posed look, and he took pains to get my wife to lose herself in activities and forget that she was being photographed. At the same time, he did "pose" the background, which is actually his main concern while shooting. His method was always to pick a background first. While doing this, he didn't want my wife in the frame at all. He would walk from place to place until he found a building or street he liked. When he finally found it -- and chose an angle from which to shoot -- he would add my wife in, with her top on at first -- and get her involved in some activity that placed her in the scene (smoking, drinking coffee, reading, etc.) After a while, he would signal me (I was standing near her) to ask her to hand me her shirt. Once she did, I would leave the frame. Then she would stand there for a while -- often five or ten minutes -- continuing to engage in the activity, while Jordan snapped pictures. While snapping, he would still focus his attention on the background -- the people walking by, the pigeons, etc. He admitted to me that he often doesn't really look at the model until he was back in his studio, checking things out in photoshop. The social aspect is what fascinated me the most: watching how other people reacted. This is New York, so of course I saw every sort of reaction, including none. Some people just walked by, seemingly bored by yet another piece of New York craziness that they had to deal with on the way to the office. A very small number of people were noticeably offended. (One dad pushed his small boy past us as quickly as possible, muttering something like "not very amusing.") Many people were curious and asked what we were doing. And, of course, there were a lot of guys who ogled. And, since this day-and-age is this day-and-age, many of the oglers had cellphones with cameras in them, and they snapped away. At one point, Jordan moved really far away from us, so there was no one obviously taking my wife's photo. She was just standing there, topless, smoking a cigarette, and suddenly about thirty guys surrounded her and started taking her picture. It was like a swarm of flies. After the shoot, when my wife looked at the photos, she got upset. She wasn't at all bothered by her bare breasts. She thought -- and this was so prosaic and everyday that it broke my heart -- that she looked fat. Of course, she didn't. She looked lovely. But she reacted the way almost every girl I've ever known has reacted when seeing herself in a photo.

By: mazola

mazola — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 08:42:13 -0800

mazola: "I ♥ N Y" PeterMcDermott: I ♥ titties. What I meant to say was: I ♥ N Y ( o Y o )

By: Busithoth

Busithoth — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 08:56:01 -0800

[I can conclude that the real issue with nudity in the US is that most of the people who want to be nude seem to be the ones we'd rather not see naked.] [No, the real issue is thinking that naked people should all look alike. It's about screwed up standards of beauty. posted by Brandon Blatcher ] I agree with the self-image thing, but, like alcohol, there's a forbidden aspect to nudity that makes (some) people crave it / react to it. A year in France at the age of 13 got me used to the sight (on TV, no less, to promote things like OJ). When I moved to NYC, I was struck by the sheer volume of sexy advertising. It took a little while to acclimate, but now I don't even notice anymore. (topless woman smoking on street would turn my head, though)

By: ThePinkSuperhero

ThePinkSuperhero — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 09:30:12 -0800

*scans for pictures of ThePinkSuperhero, scans for pictures of witchstone I call bullshit on this project! Gee, ColdChef, I'm, uh, touched?

By: pax digita

pax digita — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 09:31:03 -0800

My mind is foggy with a million years of evolutionary impulse. Indeed. A limbic system is a terrible burden sometimes, especially when putatively attempting useful, billable activity.

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 10:27:48 -0800

afflatus writes "I think that most large companies just don't know what to do when threatened by womens breasts. A symptom of rotten corporate culture. " I'd bet they are often worried about getting sued for creating a hostile work environment. dobbs writes "It's legal in Ontario as well but is rarely seen." Better than that it is specifically legal in BC, Manitoba and Ontario and in theory legal across all of Canada for women to go topless anywhere a man would be permitted to do so.

By: ColdChef

ColdChef — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 10:42:04 -0800

Gee, ColdChef, I'm, uh, touched? I'm sorry if that was offensive. Here's a nude picture of me as my way of saying, "Sorry."

By: drstein

drstein — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 13:57:06 -0800

"I'd bet they are often worried about getting sued for creating a hostile work environment." I'd have to wonder - who would sue because of nude women outside? I can't think of a single guy that would. It's too bad that things are that way.

By: zoogleplex

zoogleplex — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 16:04:08 -0800

Dammit, all youse browsers done buried the server. How'm I sposed to dig on teh b00bz0rz from work, anyway? Why you I oughtta...

By: elpapacito

elpapacito — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 17:50:06 -0800

Coralized Link which means, cache for your boobie aficionados.

By: davy

davy — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 18:10:58 -0800

> > *scans for pictures of ThePinkSuperhero, scans for pictures of witchstone > > I call bullshit on this project! > Gee, ColdChef, I'm, uh, touched? ITYM "stalked", HTH!

By: ZenMasterThis

ZenMasterThis — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 19:31:19 -0800

I asked him about that other photographer (I forget his name), the one that gets hundreds of people to take their clothes off in a public space. Spencer Tunick.

By: BrodieShadeTree

BrodieShadeTree — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 22:59:09 -0800

Bright lights, big titties. I apologize.

By: Count

Count — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 23:00:37 -0800

No wonder NY real estate is so high