Finland municipalities embrace growing acceptance of women’s topless sunbathing at beaches

Municipalities in Finland appear to be adopting a permissive attitude toward women sunbathing topless. For instance, Helsinki has stated that anyone, regardless of gender, can be topless at the beach. Yle, a Finnish media outlet, inquired about city policies relating to women’s toplessness at swimming beaches, and most respondents revealed a largely tolerant stance.

Nearly all responding cities allow women to sunbathe topless. In Oulu, sports service manager Jarmo Savukoski explained that there are no specific guidelines prohibiting or permitting toplessness; if someone finds it disturbing, that is their personal issue. Similarly, no regulations against toplessness exist in Espoo, Jyväskylä, Hämeenlinna, Turku, Mikkeli, Kotka, Rovaniemi, and Kemi.

In contrast, Kajaani has a strict policy forbidding women’s toplessness at beaches. Jarmo Eskelinen, the city’s outdoor facility manager, stated that if a woman is topless and it disturbs someone else, she may need to be removed with police assistance. This rule is based on interpretations of public order laws where perceived indecency can be addressed as a violation.

In Tampere, toplessness is allowed for everyone across beaches and swimming facilities. Leading fitness instructor Tommi Liimatta emphasized that they do not intervene in such matters as it does not violate equality laws.

Feedback on this issue has been minimal across various cities, with Timo Koljonen from Turku noting he has not received any complaints regarding toplessness. Overall, Finland seems to embrace a growing acceptance of women’s choice to sunbathe topless, provided it does not disturb others.