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Path: utzoo!decvax!ittatc!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!randvax!edhall
From: edhall@randvax.UUCP (Ed Hall)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Tanning basics
Message-ID: <13@randvax.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 9-Feb-86 15:07:49 EST
Article-I.D.: randvax.13
Posted: Sun Feb  9 15:07:49 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Feb-86 02:29:04 EST
References: <8342@ucla-cs.ARPA> <2581@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Reply-To: edhall@randvax.UUCP (Ed Hall)
Distribution: na
Organization: Rand Corp., Santa Monica
Lines: 30

In article <2068@watdcsu.UUCP> dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi) writes:
>What sense is there in getting a seamless tan *on* *her* *back*
>*only*?  She can't, by undoing the top half of her bikini, get a
>seamless tan on the front of her body or below the waist.  I cannot
>convince myself that undoing the back of her bikini was not intended to
>attract men.
>
>If she was truly interested in getting a seamless tan, wouldn't she go
>(a) to a nude beach, if she could find one, or (b) to one of those
>tanning salons?
>
>I'm mainly posting this because of the several thousand articles
>moaning about how impolite it was for those men to interrupt her
>reading, as if the undone bikini strap was of no consequence.

David, I've seen a lot more backless dresses than frontless ones.  In
this part of the world, a LOT of the summer clothes worn display one
part of the back or another.  And people tend to get pretty dark tans
around here.  The white shadow from a strap can be VERY obvious.

As a result, it is very common for women to sun themselves with their
straps undone.  Several of my friends do this.  I see it whenever I
go to the beach.  And it never even occured to me that it could be
thought of as a ``ploy.''

I guess this is just another example of cultural misunderstanding.
At least I *hope* it's nothing more insidious than that...

		-Ed Hall
		ihnp4!sdcrdcf!randvax!edhall