Breasts not making a big splash in Copenhagen

Perhaps the thought of topless sunbathing at a chlorinated concrete public pool isn’t appealing, or it could be a hint that Danish women are actually shy about exposing themselves. But either way, a new law passed in March allowing women to go topless at city pools across Copenhagen has been met with absolute disregard.

The Socialist People’s Party felt they had achieved a successful coup when their campaign to allow women to swim topless at public pools in the city was passed. In a surprising lack on interest, however, not a single woman has taken the city up on its offer according to reports from employees at the public pools.

The new regulation was sparked by a protest in December involving a group of bare-breasted women who were upset by the swimwear rules imposed at DGI Byen’s indoor swimming pool. Frank Hedegaard and Bjarne Fey of the Socialist People’s Party jumped to the rescue of these women, spearheading the topless proposal and getting it passed at the City Council in March.

Six months later, however, not even the pioneering women from DGI Byen have taken advantage of their political endeavour. Hegegaard told the newspaper Berlingske Tidende that the lack of participation wasn’t surprising to him. “Frankly, I hadn’t expected that hoards of women would suddenly begin to go swimming topless.”