Aside from men being horny in the 1800s, and this being a holdover since that time, is there any actual reason why this hasn’t changed?
If society was dominated by women, would this be more likely to change?
I was sweating my ass off hiking in the hot sun, and the question has been bothering me all day after my top soaked through with sweat.
Guys in general like breasts and, until going topless is normalized, those who do will get looks. It’s awkward, I’m sure. Perhaps we need a topless pride parade so no one is singled out and we can jumpstart the change in social norms.
Guys in some countries like breasts. I lived in a country where the top of the female was not considered private. I saw breasts regularly. After a couple of months, it was like looking at an elbow. Liking breasts is cultural.
It’s absolutely cultural, like so many sexual taboos, but it is a pretty common cultural norm.
I think the normalize is a big part. When I go to music festivals there are quite a lot of topless women and no one cares. It kinda feels novel the first time or two, and then it’s like, okay, this is normal.
Normalizing it in the general public would be a lot harder though.