VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – If it’s legal for a woman to go topless in Vancouver, why can’t we show it in the media? That’s a question Sylvie Chabot wants answered.

The head of GoTopless Canada has helped organize ‘equal topless rights’ protests in cities across North America, but is disappointed in how the media has handled her breasts (so to speak), especially in places like Vancouver where it is legal for a woman to bare her chest in public.

“We were expecting that, where it’s legal, the media would cover the news totally, without hiding our chests in the newspaper or in some TV reports,” Chabot says.

“They hide the breasts of women behind that ugly black stripe. We don’t hide men’s chests. Seeing pictures with that ugly black stripe is a strong humiliation for women. We are just asking for equality and not to discriminate against women,” she adds.

“I understand that it might create some reaction but our concern is that the more women express their freedom, the more we will see women freely on the beach or in the park where men can be topless and we will see less of a reaction. We need to desensitize, step by step, and the media has a responsibility to cover the news totally and without any fear.”

“Women’s bodies seem to be impure and dirty, we have to carry that on our shoulders,” she says.

Call it covering the news by uncovering the news.

“That’s exactly the right expression! Thank you,” laughs Chabot.