Journalist Goes Topless During Interview With Mayor to Make a Point
Searching for a way to draw attention to the empowering message of International Go Topless Day, Canadian newspaper columnist and radio talk show host Lori Welbourne decided the best way to go about that was to go topless herself.
And what better way to make a point about the freedom to bare one's breasts than during a conversation about the legality of public exposure with the mayor of a local town.
Speaking with Kelowna Mayor Walter Gray on the topic of Go Topless Day, Welbourne wondered if women who participated in the event would be subject to arrest.
Before the mayor had a chance to respond, Welbourne reached back and undid her halter top.
An unperturbed Gray went on to assure Welbourne that, as far as Canada was concerned, her right to bare chest was protected.
"I’m not suggesting you should do that but I don’t think you’d be committing any crime or breaking any bylaw," he said.
Gray later told CBC News he was aware of Welbourne's intention to undress before the interview took place — a fact that got some Kelowna residents hot and bothered.
On the flip side, some took issue with Welbourne's video, saying it didn't go far enough.
"Censoring the video waters down her argument," reads the top YouTube comment. "She is advocating that a woman being topless should not be deemed as 'inappropriate', yet the video is censored as it is obviously deemed 'inappropriate' because she is topless. The message here is still that topless women = inappropriate."
