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Saturday, August 06, 2005

Nude Beaches And Dirndls

The bloggers are having fun with this one. See The Anchoress, Sigmund, Carl and Alfred, and Betsy's Page.

Many Europeans find the Americans prudish about sex and nudity. They have way more nude or topless beaches over there, and I have even known Germans to get quite self-righteous about it. (Warning! Ugly nude people!) (Truthfully, I do find Americans incredibly prudish about nakedness. It's a cultural thing, and I'm not self-righteous about it.)

So exposing your breasts to the sun on the beach is just fine, but....an employer, on the other hand, is supposed to provide adequate clothing for their employees to protect against the harmful rays of the sun. I guess you are only allowed to get skin cancer on your own time. And this is now a crisis for Biergartens:
Bavarian barmaids typically dress in a costume known as a "dirndl", a dress and apron with a tight, low-cut top whose figure-hugging effect is enhanced by a short white blouse.

Under the EU's Optical Radiation Directive, employers of staff who work outdoors, including those in Bavaria's beer gardens, must ensure they cover up against the risk of sunburn....

"This is European law-making at its most pedantic," said Munich's mayor, Christian Ude. "A waitress is no longer allowed to wander round a beer garden with a plunging neckline. I would not want to enter a beer garden under these conditions."
I guess it's going to be bad for business. This could be a new weapon for the anti-Hooters lobby; after all, our Supreme Court has referred to international law several times before. I can see it now - OSHA having to rule on Hooters' uniforms....

Cover up you hussy! Don't you know you're going to get an ugly tan line that won't look good when you're naked on the beach?



Comments:
You crack me up. I too think we Americans are a bit too prudish about nudity. Probably why so many have hangups.
 
Yes, but what explains this sort of socially correct prudery?

How about the mayor who just won't be able to go in the beer joints if the barmaids aren't showing cleavage?

Bwahahahaaaaa.
 
I think Hooters is safe, for the most part they are an indoor establishment and the sunburn isn't an issue. the biergartens are usually outdoors and frequently close down during the winter. I wonder what kind of fun rules they could come up with for winter wear if they decided to stay open.
 
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