Helsinki quietly legalizes topless sunbathing for women

Apparently, that makes it the most progressive city in that respect in all of Finland

It turns out that as of last summer, women in Helsinki have had the right to spend time on the beach without their bikini tops if they so desired. What’s rather amazing is that the City chose to do away with the ban without making any official announcements about it and let the citizenry figure it out as a fait accompli.

According to city officials, the reason they decided to choose this unconventional approach to legalizing was because no one had ever complained about this issue anyway. Whenever there have been complaints about nudity on the beach those were directed at full nudity, and as things stand bikini bottoms and trunks must still stay on at Helsinki beaches.

Still, it seems that there is something unspoken about the matter on the part of the authorities that makes them keep mum about their sudden progressive stance.

You see Finnish law considers 'sexual immorality' if an act in public causes aggravation to others. However, what constitutes a violation of sexual morality is not always clear-cut and depends on the context. For instance, topless sunbathing has been considered acceptable on a nudist beach, but it could still be deemed inappropriate at a public event.

All in all, it’s still a bit of a grey area in an otherwise very progressive society which has given the sauna culture to the world.

It's a matter of equality, get it?

Kerttu Hynni, who is in charge of the City of Helsinki's recreation team said there had been some inquiries in the past regarding the matter. Speaking to Helsingin Sanomat, she was referring to a contentious time in the period 2019-2021 when feminist activists had organized topless flashmob events demanding for the ban to be removed.

It is clear that Helsinki has yielded to their demands because "the city's stance is equality for all residents," according to Hynni.

Great news either way, however, the struggle in other Finnish cities…quietly.