At what point is my bare chest inappropriate?

[dalebert]

If you ask me, the whole concept of anyone's chest being "inappropriate" is complete bunk.

Couldn't agree more.

And the law agrees, since basically declaring boobs indecent exposure while bare male chests aren't is pretty discriminatory. (Women have won cases on the right to be topless in public.)

I actually attended a toplessness protest of sorts and the cop was on the radio for many minutes before he finally had to just let the woman go. She was walking amongst a bunch of topless guys.

Really, it's just an issue of boobs being seen as sexualized objects because of our straight male-centered society. So basically, if guys could be turned on by it, it's considered obscene, if not, it's not. I call shenanigans on that, but whatever.

FTFY. As a gay man, I'm turned on by shapely and rigid pectoral muscles and not at all by breasts. But no matter how much I oggle a fit dood for being topless, they don't ban male toplessness for some reason. Go figure. (I'm not that rude, actually. I'm very discreet with my oggles.)

If you want a straight answer...

LOL at the accidental(?) pun.

[FalseHybridPrincess]

Αctually I would never walk topless as a guy cause of the hate I would feel towards my body,,,even on the beach I would swim and then cover myself with a blanket looking like an idiot XD

If you ask me Id find it easier to be topless as a woman rather as a guy :/

[Michelle G]

If I was to wash my car in the driveway topless wearing boy type cutoff shorts, even with my pretty long blond hair no one would say much, if I do that topless while wearing bikini bottoms I might cause a traffic accident and have nosey neighbor ladies call the cops...makes no sense at all to me!

I can however wander the beaches in San Francisco topless in bikini bottoms though without even raising an eyebrow

I have very pokie boobs with long hard nips, quite obvious braless in t-shirts

[Missadventure]

  I can never compliment a women on it though because they always get super self-conscious about it and try to reverse it on me saying I mustn't like boobs then.  Can't win.

I've been there. My ex wasn't very big.. I loved 'em, but she was all kinds of neurotic about it, to the point of being jealous of my moobs. I remember one point we had a romantic evening were fooling around, and I told her how much I loved her breasts. She told me "apparently you missed the evolutionary bandwagon" and walked out of the room.

[Missadventure]

Well said. Now that I've started you'll never catch me topless.

I haven't started, yet, and you'll never catch me topless. I dunno. I've always been bashful about my chest.

[Violet Bloom]

  Just to clarify, I'm not really interested in going around topless - I'm just trying to understand how and when it becomes 'indecent'.  It seems to be a matter of individual interpretation.  If people believe I'm a male then I suspect I could have significant development on display before anyone starts to question it.  This would likely be far past the point of 'societal decency' if people saw me as a woman.  It gets more complicated if you are trying to post photos and I don't know where the line gets drawn particularly if it is dependent on what your stated gender is.  And what of the gender-fluid types?  Is it okay to bare 'em if they are having a 'male day' but not if they're feeling female?  Guidance please!

[TessaMarie]

Maybe I'm misreading Violet's post, but to me it looked like she was asking what would be allowed/not allowed in posted pics on this forum.

I read her question as: 

How much boob is too much boob for a pic posted in this forum ?

[Ms Grace]

Your bare chest will never be inappropriate to me, Violet! 

But by my reckoning, moobs stop being moobs when they stick out further than the belly, then they are most definitely boobs... 

[TessaMarie]

But by my reckoning, moobs stop being moobs when they stick out further than the belly, then they are most definitely boobs... 

Oops.  I passed that particular milestone a while ago.  Just as well I am wearing my winter camoflage.  Summer might be interesting, especially since I am still presenting as male.

You are quite right Tessa.  We just love to chat about boobs, we take license with almost no provocation whatsoever 

LOL ... I guess I asked for that .... /hides

[pebbles]

I actually went swimming when I was only 2months on hormones, I was torn on what I ought to wear because I was still super self concious because I was aware of how different my chest looked... However it was borderline. A month later I wouldn't have done so simply because my nipples got too big.

[Misato]

The gym. Until late spring I was going to the gym where I had to walk from my locker to the shower shirtless. At five months in, I was probably being paranoid about being noticed but I felt myself compelled to make sure I kept my towel stragically placed.

That was probably about the time I stopped padding my bra, as I had enough to go all me. No where close to filling out the cups, but enough to keep em' filled out.

[Lyric]

My nips haven't seen sunlight in decades. I think the time to start doing things the way girls do is the day you decide you're a girl. If you consider yourself a feminine person why would you still do simple things like a guy, anyway? Passing as a woman may not be easy (at first) for everyone, but passing as androgynous is easier. Wearing a top all the time is an easy beginning.

Still, there are a few genetic women in the world who don't abide by the female chest covering tradition. There's a group in New York City called the "The Outdoor Co-ed Topless Pulp Fiction Appreciation Society" (Google them, but know they're NSFW), who regularly put New York's toplessness laws (or lack thereof) to the test by walking around the the city and Central park with their shirts off.

~ Lyric ~

[Violet Bloom]

Maybe I'm misreading Violet's post, but to me it looked like she was asking what would be allowed/not allowed in posted pics on this forum.
I read her question as: 
How much boob is too much boob for a pic posted in this forum ?

  You're right, but then I realized that the question was so much bigger than that.  I'm completely open to expanding on every angle of this issue because it's important when everyone gets thinking deeply about it.  It occurred to me just how silly this gets in society around women breast-feeding in public - everyone's up in arms about the bare breasts, particularly if children will see it, but nobody has any concern for the 'fragile' mind of the 'poor' feeding baby 'helplessly' pressed up against said breasts.   Oh, such irony.  Anyway, I don't think anyone directly tackled my forum question, short of what appeared to be a dare.

You are quite right Tessa.  We just love to chat about boobs, we take license with almost no provocation whatsoever 

  Indeed - I was trying to 'provoke' fun and illuminated discussion on the 'illumination' of my chest.

Your bare chest will never be inappropriate to me, Violet! 

  I'm glad you see it that way.   Allow me to expand on this thought:

As a guy I was horribly self-conscious about my body and everything about my presentation.  Part of my growth as a person has been to shed this excessive and unrealistic concern so that I can be comfortable anywhere I go.  It was a major challenge initially even to just have my shirt off in public or go to a swimming pool.  I've gotten past all that now to the point that if for some reason I were to be completely naked in public I wouldn't give a damn, although I'm not an exhibitionist.  It's just a sentiment.  The more my mind and body shift towards a female appearance the more appropriate I feel about it and my transition is allowing me to shed the last of my internal shame for my body.

Still, there are a few genetic women in the world who don't abide by the female chest covering tradition. There's a group in New York City called the "The Outdoor Co-ed Topless Pulp Fiction Appreciation Society" (Google them, but know they're NSFW), who regularly put New York's toplessness laws (or lack thereof) to the test by walking around the the city and Central park with their shirts off.
~ Lyric ~

  OMG - the apparent level of queer in that circle of women is totally breaking my heart!  I need to meet girls like this.  Gah, then I'd be too horny around them (which has little to do with the bare breasts, as my fellow lesbian/queer oriented female members here will understand).

  I have to go out for a laser appointment right now, so everyone think all this over and I'll pick up the discussion again in the afternoon.

[Jasriella]

I can tuck well enough that I can wear a bikini and if it wasn't for my lack of hair I could pass with a lot of effort, so if I were to go to a public swimming pool in a bikini I would have the top on. I don't go topless in public at all anyway, no matter how well built I was when I worked out every day I was always self conscious about being without at least a T-Shirt.

My opinion, as an MTF what happens in private stays in private, but you're living as a woman and in public you're a lady so behave like it. You can strip but naked and have all the fun you want when you have some sort of privacy.

[Thylacin]

I think the time to start doing things the way girls do is the day you decide you're a girl. If you consider yourself a feminine person why would you still do simple things like a guy, anyway?
~ Lyric ~

I never decided I was a girl. I was one, but just refused to admit it. There is no choice there.

Further, I can be feminine, but still do some things how I always have, there is no rule of how trans people should behave.


As for the original question, it should never be inappropriate, but we unfortunately live in a society with messed up ideas about sexuality, gender, and sex. So whenever you feel your chest looks like it would be regarded as a female would be the point where you would want to cover it.

[Allyda]

I never had to decide either -I always knew I was a girl. And, I have even as a kid been very self concious about going topless. Although on the Rez (reservation) where I spent my early years both young girls and boys went topless all the time when it was hot. It wasn't until I was adopted and moved to Washington DC with my new family that things for me anyway became very confusing. -when I was young that is.

[Violet Bloom]

  The temperature here in Toronto today is -17ºC (1ºF) with a wind chill of -25ºC (-13ºF).  No chance of toplessness!  I once did a polar bear dip in Lake Ontario under similar conditions.  The shock to my system was so extreme that I immediately went home and slept for almost 24 hours straight.

[stephaniec]

I was in Toronto once very nice place

[Zoe Snow]

I've been struggling with this question myself lately.  I've been on HRT for 2 months now, and I've just recently started developing soreness around the nipple area.  I also swim regularly with a masters swim club, so I have to be topless quite often.  There really aren't many options when it comes to swimwear while presenting as male that cover the chest.  I'd love to switch over to wearing female swimwear, but doing so means I'd have to socially transition with everyone I swim with.  I know its only a matter of time before I won't have much choice in the matter.  I'm still overweight, so I've had the moob thing going on for a while now as well, which may give me a little bit more time before they become too noticeable.

[TessaMarie]

  You're right, but then I realized that the question was so much bigger than that. 

TY for that reassurance Violet     Thought I was going crazy imagining things ... oh, wait ... just imagining things ...

I don't remember being nearly as self-conscious about my body as most other people here seem to have been.  That does make me second-guess whether or not I should be even thinking of transitioning.  My sense of self was beaten down so thoroughly when I was very young (in the name of religion), that it is often hard to separate the illusion from reality.