In The Age Of The Naked Dress, Why Are So Many Of Us Reluctant To Sunbathe Topless?

After a spring filled with naked dresses (the Met Gala alone brought us Emily Ratajkowski in vintage Versace, Jodie Turner-Smith as a Gucci showgirl, and Cara Delevingne with her breasts bare but for a lick of Dior-approved gold paint), we’ve predicted that this summer will usher in the era of the naked bride (merci, Camille Charrière, who celebrated her nuptials in an upcycled lace Harris Reed gown that revealed her La Perla thong beneath). 

So, style logic follows, if women are now bold enough to bare all before the flashbulbs on the red carpet, and willing even to take such outré ensembles to the altar, then surely we should be emancipated enough to follow the style rules of our favourite A-listers and Instagrammers somewhere a little more low-key? At the beach with our bessies, perhaps, or poolside with our partners.

It’s long been the case that holiday dressing allows for a little wardrobe liberation, as we swap constricting or minimalist city ensembles for softer silhouettes, and pretty prints that channel bohemian spirit and feminine flounce. Being #OOO also encourages a bolder approach to baring a little more sun-kissed skin, but even in the Vogue office – where flesh-flaunting self-expression is encouraged – actually sunbathing topless appears to be one of fashion’s final taboos. 

Summer escapes encourage us to cast off the shackles of modern life: our inboxes, our social media feeds, our gym gear, our shapewear. But this general untethering does not always extend to the strings of our bikini top. Tabloid journalism has taught us that a celebrity caught topless is still at risk of personal embarrassment. Famously, Kate Middleton was snapped by a long lens-toting pap lurking half a mile away from where she was sunbathing beside a private pool in Provence – sans bandeau – by French Closer in 2012. In 2017, a judge awarded the Duchess 100,000 Euro in damages for the invasion of privacy, to be paid by the magazine and two photographers. 

It’s a patriarchal paradox, that despite tabloid media resorting to extreme measures to pap the bap, Instagram bans its users from freeing the nipple (even if exposed through art photography or breastfeeding), in the safe space that is their own curated profile.

Today, the first-wave feminist allure of bra-burning is countered by the prevalence of slut- and body-shaming. Are we comfortable baring our boobs when we have less flesh or more to flash? Does a smaller or larger cup size equate to more topless confidence? Do we feel at ease baring all with our female friends – only liberated when beyond the ever-present male gaze?

Me? I’m half in half out, more of a metaphorical nip slip than full-scale flaunt. I feel an almost primal sense of elation when going topless with my closest circle of girlfriends around the pool in private, but I’ve always covered up around men or in public. 

To bare or not to bare this summer? Here, members of team Vogue from either camp weigh in.

Kerry McDermott, digital director

“If there is such a thing as a holiday modesty spectrum, with Shailene Woodley letting the sun shine where, ahem, the sun don’t shine at one end (google it), and Victorian bathing huts at the other, I sit somewhere in the middle, wearing a Hunza G one piece. I’ve finally moved past being cripplingly self-conscious about my non-existent boobs (that was 15 years well spent), but going topless in public? What are we, French?”

Alice Newbold, executive fashion news and features editor

“Anyone who has breasts over a certain cup size will know that going topless on the beach is a) not practical, b) a touch pornographic, and c) a danger zone for burning. My nipples don’t see the sun for 99 per cent of the year, so why would I run the risk of burning them for the sake of a couple of tan lines?”

Naomi Smart, commerce director

“I grew up going to nudist beaches in Mallorca, France, you name it! They’re always the most beautiful spots, secluded, like Eden-on-sea. When I was a teenager I would only sunbathe topless with my gal pals in the rushes. As I’ve gotten older I only ever go topless – mostly because I never want any tan lines – and also I love swimming with fewer clothes. You feel more free.”

Jessica Gerardi, shopping editor

“My main motivation for sunbathing topless is definitely avoiding tan lines, however, I must admit there is also a certain sense of freedom that comes with swimming or sunbathing topless – it’s how we were intended to be! I only really feel comfortable doing it in Europe where it is widely accepted, as I would hate my nipples to cause offence to anyone. I don’t exactly have huge boobs, so I don’t feel self-conscious that anyone is staring at them because, to be honest, there is really not much to see. Gals, this summer, go forth and free the nipple!”