Amber McNaught writes...
See those women in the picture above? They're on a women-only beach in Italy. How about that, then? See that man in the middle? The one they're all pawing and petting, like he's some kind of rock star? What a time he's having, eh?
The idea behind this beach is quite simple. Men, the reasoning goes, are a bit of a nuisance, really. They stare at women on the beach - especially topless women. They try to chat them up. They will not leave them alone with their leery glances and offers to rub sunscreen into the helpless women's shoulders. For women, the beach becomes a hostile environment, filled with "terror". The solution? Ban men. Simple.
Now, either I've been going to the wrong beaches or men just don't fancy me, because personally, I've never had to fend off eager suitors as I lie slathered in factor 50 with ice cream dribbling down my chin. (Hey! Maybe I just found out why?) And actually, I tend to fear the bitchy comments of my fellow women, for whom no inch of cellulite goes unnoticed, than the "stares" of men. The "sisterhood" tend to be much harsher judges of the female form than their male counterparts, and a beach full of them sounds a bit like the Big Brother house on week one, to me, to be honest. But that's just me.
Undoubtedly there are some women who don't enjoy going to the beach - women who feel vulnerable in their bikinis, and who'd rather not have to expose themselves in front of an audience of men. And there are women who'd like to sunbathe topless, but don't want to feel every eye on them as a result. But is banning the opposite sex the answer? Is it really necessary to completely segregate the sexes in order for women to be able to enjoy their sunbathing in peace? It's supposed to be "liberating" for women, but it seems pretty insulting to men, with the implication being that they are just one-step away from animals, totally unable to control their baser instincts. Undoubtedly some of them are - but not all of them, surely? Not enough to make sunbathing the problem it seems to be for women in this area of Italy?
Actually, at the women's-only beach, it's not just sunbathing that's on offer. In the absence of men, beach side aerobics have become much more popular (cut to a scene of what the tabloids would no doubt call a "bevvy of bikini-clad beauties" prancing around on the sand and shaking their tushes). There is a "beauty queen" on call to give advice on beauty and makeup tips. Because that's what women like, you know? It is, in short, a man's idea of heaven: lots and lots of scantily-clad women doing aerobics and massaging each other. Paradise indeed. But is it paradise for women, I wonder?
What do you think? Would you jump at the chance to hit up the women-only beach, or would you rather holiday the old-fashioned way, where men aren't banished to the other side of the fence?
Amber McNaught is a freelance writer and regular Shiny contributor. She has no idea why one of the Village People is in the photograph above.
