steven potter
GoTopless Day participants fight for gender equality by enjoying drinks and food at Natt Spil.
As they slowly stroll along the path at B.B. Clarke Beach, a young woman tugs on her companion’s arm, pulling him closer. She clearly needs to tell him something important, discreetly.
“So, ummm, that lady is not wearing a shirt,” she says in a loud whisper.
“Where?” he asks while glancing around, the inflection in his voice showing a mix of interest and disbelief. “Oh. You’re right — she’s certainly not.”
Sure enough, Lili Luxe is topless as she saunters over to meet a group of men and women sitting on the grassy area above the east-side beach.
Otherwise dressed in black shorts and sunglasses, Luxe sits down, and another woman takes off her own shirt. Four more women show up, sit down and quickly do away with their shirts. No one talks about it. It’s as if all is normal on this hot afternoon.
And that’s the whole point.
It’s the last Sunday in August and the ninth annual International GoTopless Day — an event where women across the world free themselves of their shirts (and bras).
“In Madison, it’s legal for women to be topless — we’re not fighting for anything. But most of us don’t do it because society tells us our bodies are shameful or sexual,” says Luxe, 35, owner of Luxe Productions, which promotes body equality by hosting private and public parties around town each weekend. “The idea of today is to normalize [being topless] for women. Free the nipple.”
This is Luxe’s third year organizing the “nipple equality” event, and because this is Wisconsin, it’s a pub crawl. As people gather their things and head to the first bar, a woman who’s sunbathing nearby takes off her bikini top and continues reading a paperback book, seeming to not notice the topless women passing by.
Along the path toward downtown, Luxe directs the crowd for safety’s sake: “Ladies, let’s stay on the right side of the bike path — we’re already distracting enough.” A few fully clothed bikers and pedestrians pass the group, men and women alike taking some long glances but saying nothing. As the women cross the intersection at Williamson Street and John Nolen Drive, a few cars honk.
Kate de Felice, a 29-year-old mother, says she’s participating “to even the playing field. Men can do it. What’s the difference if I do it?”
Arriving at Natt Spil, the group joins another dozen topless men and women already at the bar. Some shout in support and exchange high-fives while others take selfies, and the two groups begin to mingle. Some sit inside, others proudly dine outside.
One of the topless guys in the group, Brad Orego, 28, who has “Free the Nipple” painted on his chest and “Go Topless” sloppily written on his back, is there to show support. “I’m a feminist,” he says. “It’s total bullshit that only men have this right.”
On their way to the next stop, the group stops off to take a pic on the Capitol steps. Stunned by the spectacle, an older man asks no one in particular, “Am I dreaming?”
At the Shamrock Bar & Grille, the drinks keep flowing, and the topless group grows.
As the afternoon stretches into evening, a few of the topless women begin to gently compare each other’s bodies and discuss their tattoos and piercings.
In a couple of instances, creepy men ogle the women. At Shamrock, a drunken man is pulled aside by two men accompanying the group. The man eventually stumbles along and is gone.
“I can’t prevent it from happening, but I work to make sure people are held accountable for how they treat each other,” says Luxe.
Before heading to the Frequency to close out the night with a live rock show, Emilie Brandt, 22, proclaims the event a success. “It’s as normal as you make it,” she says. “I can’t wait to do it again.”
Stops in GoTopless Pub Crawl: 4
Participants last two years: about 50
Age range of participants: 22-66
Topless selfies taken: ∞
States where women can go topless: 33
