Shirtless men - what's the policy and etiquette in your country?

The hottest season of summer is dawning in South Africa, and people are enjoying outdoor beer-gardens, while clothing is more minimal than usual, for both men and women.

Today I went to a pub with an outdoor beer-garden.
Most men are now wearing shirts, shorts and sandals.

However the first thing I noticed, even from the parking lot, was a man without his shirt.
I know it's not taboo, and there are men of all colors, shapes and sizes jogging shirtless, or mowing the lawn, or washing their cars on their own property.
Heck, I wear a vest at home.

But, on the other hand it was a public place, and not a beach.
It does become a visual focus.
The guy was as red as a lobster, and reasonably fit and slim.
It was a table of men and boys, and I assumed it was probably some uncle visiting from elsewhere, who didn't care how he looked to people here (we get a lot of inland people visiting their families along the coast around Christmas).

However, next they were joined by another man, who was quite paunchy, and as he sat down he also took his shirt off!
There he sat, white as a sheet, with hairy man-boobs!

Sitting in the beer-garden, we often see especially men's wardrobe malfunctions.
Some "bigger" guys sit there and their butt-cleavage shows, to the point where everybody stares, and some ladies remove themselves from the unintended mooning with a blush.

I know that butt-cleavage was a fashion at one point, but good heavens, if you don't wear underpants, at least get a belt!

Anyway, is it OK for all guys to flaunt their topless chests and bellies?
Should a waitron or manager intervene?
Don't men sometimes feel ashamed to flaunt themselves like that?

Perhaps going shirtless in hot weather is a birthright of the male sex, and all men should do so proudly.

Should there be limits - what does culture, religion, the law, and common sense tell us on shirtless men?

wait till you meet the geordies from england, the colder the climate the less they wear and wearing anything more than a shirt on a saturday night is almost a criminal act

Seventh Heaven - The moralistic TV show was somewhat ambiguous on shirtless men, and the female attitude towards them:

hopefully these dudes are starting a trend that women will soon follow

If you ever venture to America, avoid anything NASCAR related

reply to post by halfoldman


You're right only good looking people should be allowed shirtless in public, shut-up. How does this so greatly affect your life? Who cares as long as he's not the guy making your food or whatever, only then because it's a health hazard regardless of if you're ripped or chubby.

reply to post by halfoldman

If men are allowed to do it, then women should be able to as well....why should we suffer in the heat? Joking.....there are some people who should never go out in public shirtless....so unless you look like Fabio or Adrianna Lima....keep it ON!

reply to post by Headband7

Well I'm not judging myself, I'm just wondering how acceptable it is, mainly because I'd like to give it a try.
However, a lot of men and women would say "put your shirt on".
I wouldn't try it outside a swimming/beach situation until I looked like a cover from Men's Health Magazine.

Generally I think it's fine to go shirtless when outside, pretty much wherever you are. I maybe wouldn't in a town centre because you're likely to be in and out of shops.

If I was in a beer garden on a hot day, I would not put a top on to go to the bar. Same for buying ice-cream and other hot day related yummies. Anyone pathetic enough to be offended by that really needs to have a word with themselves, it's just skin.

I agree it shouldn't be done in public. S&F for that.
However my real shirtless related problem is society won't let women go shirtless when we are the only ones with useful nipples. When I was breastfeeding I got alot of strange looks in public. Not that I would do it all the time everywhere but if I had to I did. When were talking about a new born, they spend 30-45 min on there....I'm not camping in the bathroom that long when you can't really see any offensive parts...just enough to tell whats happening. It wouldn't be strange if a majority did it and I don't find it offensive...it's different than flashing people.

reply to post by March of the Fire Ants

if you go shirtless and you're quite hairy, should one first have a shave or a wax?
That's a bit confusing at present, because they say the Metrosexual man is out, and men should be more natural.
However, looking at adverts and the male image there is more hair than in the past two decades, but it is still not entirely natural.

For women the rules are much simpler - no body-hair!
When my aunt came to visit from Germany the bushes under her arms seemed very unusual in SA, and she didn't really notice, but everybody else did.

Last summer I took this motorcycle course to get my licenses. We had to wear jeans, long sleeves shirts, boots and gloves. On top of wearing a helmet with the visor down all day. It was a three day course, six hours each session. It was about 100 degrees and on break I would take my shirt off. Im 19 years old with a pretty fit body and as I took my sweat drenched shirt off for the second time I was approached and told I must leave it on because some people might feel left out. There were about 9 males and 2 females and we were in an empty parking lot. I feel like you should be able to expose your body how ever you want, besides genitals. Its not my fault some people may feel "left out" because they're fat ***es and are ashamed of their body. Maybe you should work out or better yet stop feeling bad for yourself because youre the one that did it to yourself.

Edit- Everyone is human and has the same body. Some may be more in fit, or a different color, maybe you have scars or deformities. But no matter what it is, its still a human body, everyone already knows what it looks like.

reply to post by halfoldman


Gotcha, then who cares what other people think or what society deems acceptably, you wanna take it off- go for it, unless they have the "No shirt, No shoes, No service." sign then maybe slap one on. I go into the convenience store here without one all the time in the summer no one says anything. i like the "No shirt, No shoes, No Problems" philosophy myself.

reply to post by StealthyKat


I'm from America. I'm no redneck. I played football, baseball, and wrestling throughout high school. I still to this day, love to not have to wear a shirt. I'm completely comfortable with it, and so is anyone thats usually around me. I go into stores in the summer without my shirt and usually it depends on who is working lol. Heck I even ride my moped around without my shirt on.

Ha, Headband7 touche skin brethren

Also here in the states the tanning industry has gotten huge over the past ten years. Hopefully we will see more people outdoors getting tan rather than "Fake Baking". So yes I endorse going shirtless

Yes, hairy man-boob is a crime. And, it is unfortunate we all must be subjected to such an atrocity....




DO YOUR PART!

Help keep hairy man-boob under control this season. Dont make eyes hurt - wear a shirt!
Thank you


ThatGuy45

Originally posted by Maxatoria
wait till you meet the geordies from england, the colder the climate the less they wear and wearing anything more than a shirt on a saturday night is almost a criminal act

Wait a minute......I resemble that remark!

In my country it is perfectly acceptable but a business has the right to refuse service. Often there are signs that say, No Shirt,No Shoes, No Service.

I would say it all depend on how comfortable you are with your body.If we were to go with "as long as they look nice" well were does that stop? Paper bags over peoples heads?
Most stores have a sign saying
No shoes
No shirt
No service

If someone else has a problem with it and your not on private property just tell them I honestly couldn't give a # what you think.
As for hairs and stuff i guess it depends on the fashion of where you live.

Well, from my personal story, I can say this:

I'm from a European sub-race that is often labelled the "Borreby" group.
While we can be robust and stocky, especially the men can lean towards chubbiness.
The women on the other hand can be quite buxom and good-looking.

Anyway, maybe because I was gay and didn't fit in ethnically at school, PT (physical training, or sports) was always a nightmare for me, and some other boys.

We had to play contact sports on the field, and the girls were playing netball within eyesight.
There were always some guys who couldn't wait to take their shirts off, but the irony is that myself and the other chubby boys always landed in the "skins" team who had to take their vests off.
I was very self-consciousness, and tried just to undo one arm, but the teacher would tell us to take it off.
Maybe he did it on purpose.

From that point I always associated that behavior with bullies and show-offs.

Only at varsity did I try it again, usually while playing guitar.
Then everybody loved it, or at least they didn't comment.

The only problem came once, when I had waist-length hair, and I sat topless at the beach.
These people walked towards us with their dogs, and then they hushed their kids away, and looked absolutely shocked.
Only later did I realize that they thought I was a woman!

I slimmed down since then, but I always still expect negative comments, and some men do actually have "boobs".
However, black culture doesn't bat an eyelash about such things, and some men just don't care.
But mostly it's easy to talk as long as you're a young jock - but that doesn't last forever.
It's also easier for darker skinned people who can handle the sun.

Our President Jacob Zuma was not coy during his wedding to his third current wife.

Traditionally the unmarried women go topless too, and I think they covered up here just for the Western press.



I'm not sure how well this works for whites however.

Here in the States (USA), the rule for indoor places is pretty much, No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service...simple as that.

Shirtless is ok for:

1. The Beach
2. The Pool
3. Private Homes (if your house, or a guest of someone in their home, when they too, are shirtless)
4. Outdoor labor in the heat
5. Outdoor recreation (park, etc.)
6. The Gym
7. Waterpark

That's really about it.

As for topless women, for some reason, we still cling to our puritanical ideas that a woman's naked breasts need to be covered. It's funny, that when asked, most women would like the opportunity to go topless just like guys do (i.e. in those same places).

It's funny how in many places overseas, this simply isn't a big deal.