France is fining men for walking bare-chested through town centres in a growing crackdown at popular tourist resorts, in a striking departure from the country’s longstanding reputation for casual beach-side freedom.
While sunbathing topless remains legal on most French beaches, local councils across the country have been introducing bans on shirtless men in town centres, pedestrian areas and heritage sites, citing hygiene, decency and the protection of the local environment.
The trend has accelerated this summer. In Narbonne, a seasonal ban came into force this week and will run until 30 September, covering main tourist and pedestrian areas of the city. Fines reach up to €150 (£130). The municipality said the goal was to preserve “public tranquillity, respect for the living environment, and the attractiveness of the city centre during the summer season,” according to The Connexion. Officials explained that while certain forms of dress were suitable for beaches and bathing areas, they were “not necessarily appropriate in the streets, squares, or heritage areas of the city.”
In the Channel coast resort of Deauville, fines have risen sharply from €17 (£15) to €150 (£130). Bertrand Malquier, the town’s mayor, told The Times: “It’s about hygiene and avoiding exhibitionism.” Fifteen people were fined there last summer alone. Nice already imposes a €35 (£30) fine for walking in swimwear or shirtless outside designated zones, with similar rules in place in Arcachon and Cassis.
The business case for the rules has also been made clear. “Having bare-chested guys on the terrace can put off other customers,” Anthony Hill, 53, an Australian restaurant owner in the Narbonne area, told The Times.
Reaction online has been mixed. One Reddit user said the rules were less about prudishness and more about maintaining an image: “I think it’s less prudishness and more a desire to keep France classy and elegant. Or at least to keep alive the popular delusion that France is more classy and elegant than the rest of us.” Another added: “It is just standard French Riviera stuff. It is about keeping up appearance, a leftover of 1800s upper-class vacation and not looking like Sunny Beach in Bulgaria, Costa del Sol or Mallorca.”
