Critical Tits and the High Cost of Pasties

When I went to Burning Man in 2002, one of my best experiences was participating in Critical Tits, a topless bike ride and party that celebrates women in their most glorious form. The Critical Tits extravaganza is open only to women and girls, and that year it was one of the few times I was not by Mike's side. It was quite a lot of fun hanging out, dancing, and bonding with my female campmates. I can't wait to do it again this year. I doubt I'll bring Emily, but I'm hoping a contingency of KidsVille moms will join me in the celebration of all things estrogen.

In 2002, I rode with a top that I could easily pull down. During the ride, I let my "girls" be free. I noticed that lots of women put electrical tape over their tits or painted their chest with body paint. Instead of going completely topless this year, I think I will wear pasties. But in researching pasties online, I realized one of the drawbacks: those things aren't cheap! Pasties cost anywhere from $10/pair to $25/pair for the sequined ones with tassles. Who knew? Maybe I'll just cut hearts out of colored duct tape and make my own.

Or maybe I'll forgo the pasties and/or homemade tit coverings alltogether. I could care less about revealing my boobs to the world; especially now, after birthing two children and breastfeeding has stripped me of any modesty I may have had. Besides, I'm proud of these things that nursed my babies.

However, as you can imagine, one of the issues with Critical Tits is the large number of whackers, guys who take pictures of the topless women without permission. There's not a whole lot the organizers can do to curb unwanted photo-taking during the ride, except remind photographers about Burning Man's Rights and Responsibilities for Media and Particpants and post pictures of the offending persons on the Internet. The ride is open only to women and girls, but it's mainly men who are watching. The nice thing about the party is that no men are allowed! But even at the party there is a "No Camera" policy unless you are a friend taking photos of your friends.

I won't bring my camera to the party. I would rather concentrate on having a good time and I certainly don't want to make anybody feel uncomfortable. For a variety of reasons, it's not easy for women to bare their breasts in public, even at an event like Burning Man. I want to support as best that I can a safe environment for women to free themselves of the constraints of modern society, whether the constraints are laws, mores, or unrealistic expectations of the patriarchy that breasts should be the perky playthings of the men folk. Yuck!

Go tits!