Wow... living in Miami, topless sunbathing really isn't a big deal.  I have to admit, I don't sunbathe topless when I know that I'm going to run into a lot of people I know- but it's nice to know that you CAN, if you want.  I don't want those pesky suntan lines!  eww!  helllo malibu barbie .

Anyhow, here's a little blurb from the Guardian about the rise in feminism in France and how this has somehow led to a decrease in topless sunbathing... It's actually a bit disturbing.  A monetary FINE if you are topless.. at an artificial beach in France?  That's just wrong.

Another perk of this article- the beautiful photos of summers in 1960's France .... be sure to click on the slideshow!  I love the woman who covers up with the seashells....

• Angelique Chrisafis
• Wednesday 22 July 2009 16.56 BST

For some it's the stuff of naff Côte d'Azur postcards. For others it's a symbol of the feminist struggle in France. Topless sunbathing was once the summer battleground of French post-1968 society – educated middle classes insisted that peeling off was a women's right, while family groups claimed exposed nipples would scare children.

For decades, France has prided itself on being the world capital of seaside semi-nudity. Now the nation is facing a bikini-top backlash. A younger generation of women are covering up, citing new feminist priorities, skin cancer fears and a rebellion against the cult of the fetished body beautiful.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE!

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1962: Topless bathing was de rigueur in the 60s, as these women show. They're taking a break from arduous film-viewing at the Cannes film festival

Photograph: Paul Schutzer/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image

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1967: Modesty, 60s-style ... Shells preserve this sunbather's decency

Photograph: Roger-Viollet/Rex Features