An Interesting Look At A Mini-Fad

I hadn't commented on this item when it turned up a couple of weeks ago. It resurfaced just a few days ago and actually provides a bit of insight into fads, I think. The town of Brattleboro, Vermont has decided to let mother nature deal with a rash of nude teenagers that has been ongoing throughout the summer. One thing is certain, running around in the nude in the snow will be nowhere near as much fun as doing it in the summer.

The town's Select Board decided Tuesday to take no action on an anti-nudity ordinance that was introduced in response to a clothing-optional movement launched by local teenagers this summer.

"Winter is coming. If spring comes and we still have a problem, we'll take another look at it," said Select Board Chairman Steve Steidle.

Vermont has no state law against public nudity, though at least eight communities have banned it locally.

Brattleboro, however, has long had a live-and-let-live culture. Its 12,000 residents have seen clothing-optional swimming holes, streakers, and even an event known as "Breast Fest," with women parading topless.

But the public nature of the latest movement — naked teens smack in the heart of downtown — raised eyebrows.

The stripping apparently started in early summer when a young woman sat naked on a park bench, said Police Chief John Martin. Then another woman took her shirt off downtown, a music festival inspired nude hula hoopers in a downtown parking lot, and in August a half dozen young people bared their bodies in a parking lot encircled by the backs of bookstores, coffee shops and restaurants.

One of the nudists, 19-year-old Adhi Palar, told the town board the issue was freedom.

"Our acting in nudity is an act of celebration of this history and traditional values as a place where you're allowed to be nude," he said. "I find that important, and I find that proud."

I think this is sort of a local mini-fad having more to do with teenage rebellion than anything else. The town actually did more to derail this fad by ignoring it than if they had passed a law. After the teens realize nobody really is paying any attention to them, they'll move on to something else.