The naked truth: keep yer kit on!

This week two newspapers  (La Vanguardia and El Pais) ran articles about a proposal by the PSC and CiU parties soon before the City Council which would ban nudity and near-nudity from streets near the beach, including the infamous Las Ramblas area. (see link to El Pais.)  http://www.elpais.com/articulo/cataluna/Barcelona/chastened/elpepueng/20110121elpcat_1/Ten
La Vanguardia  suggested that the proposal would certainly be passed in March, just in time for this year's tourist hordes hitting  the city at Easter. (Presumeably tourists are the main offenders?) This is pure speculation of course but that's newspapers for you.

It seems there could be several 'grey' areas here - as well as pink ones! A definitions of what is 'nude' (and therefore attracting a fine of up to 500 euros) shouldn't be too difficult for the lawmakers. But deciding what is 'semi-nude' (attracting 300 euros) could more problematic.  El Pais suggests that being shirtless for men and wearing a bathing costume for women could come under 'semi' or 'near-nude'. But what about bikinis, or shorts with a tiny top or bra?  No bra? And  doesn't a short dress with buttons undone, or a mini-skirt reveal as much of the human body as a bathing costume? In any case would feminists be right in protesting here that any definition is, de facto, biased against ways in which women habitually dress in summer -. in any country? And after all don't you see men repairing the streets who aren't wearing shirts, don't you? And statues only wearing paint? Are they nude or semi-nude?

So far few voices have been raised against the idea - which suggests the law will be doomed to failure. El Pais quotes one: Jacint Ribes, chairman for the Association for the Defence of Nakedness  (Yes, it does exist !) who feels a new wave of 'nudophobia' has arrived. He suggests proposals like this only come up at election time. He states that the City Hall used to be  a defender of  personal freedom. Now it's favouring people who want to be free not to suffer others' lack of respect!

Another criticism is that police have enough to do to keep abreast of the rising 'normal' crime in the city without checking out what people are - or aren't wearing. A police spokesperson was reported to have they would insist on people getting dressed properly before officers took down their details, and that they would not keep photos on police files to catch consistent offenders (liable to a 600 euro fine). Would patrols be organised so that a policeman and police woman work together to make for a more objective decision? One cynic thought that the whole thing was just a ruse to get more recruits into Barcelona's Guardia Urbana police.

To decide questions of taste and fashion is always a tricky and subjective thing. 'Beauty - (and in this case semi-nudity) are in the eye of the beholder'.  I suspect that the originator of that much over-quoted phrase, Keats would not have objected to the sight of over-exposure of the female body. Byron might unless the shirtless perpetrator was handsome. In any case a softly-softly approach rather than a hardline one might be a better policy, since strutting your stuff (in a semi-nude state in the streets) is only a seasonal occupation.

This weekend it's minus 5 degees out on Las  Ramblas. Not a chest hair, bare leg or plunging neckline in sight.