Austin is the state capital of Texas and its fourth most populous city. Located in the center of the state, it has scenic natural views and the hustle and bustle of big-city life. There are a few things everyone knows about the city: Austin keeps things weird and it is considered the Live Music Capital of the World, for example. Texas has no laws that stop women from going topless in public. However, no other city in the state has a place designated for nudity. Hippie Hollow is a clothing-optional beach located on Lake Travis. Texas is a conservative state all-in-all, but Austin is pretty liberal. During spring and summer, about 1.
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Embracing The Counterculture
Marie Catrett was sitting at Garrison Pool in South Austin a few years ago, trying to cool off on a hot summer day. She had just had a baby, and she and other new moms were breastfeeding their children. She said she considered topless women the backdrop of Barton Springs, but it stuck out to her at the smaller neighborhood pool. And she wasn't alone. I just felt so connected to her and validated. The incident had Catrett thinking a lot about public nudity. She wrote in to ATXplained asking KUT to investigate why it's legal to sunbathe topless in the first place, and how it became such a regular part of Austin's culture. State law says you cannot show your genitals or your anus in public. It says nothing about breasts. So, technically, people can be topless anywhere in Texas.
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Nothing feels better than water against bare skin, outdoors, under the leaves and stars. But for me, backpacking trips always mean nightly dashes, sans clothing, into ice-cold lakes and streams. Tempted to scrap the swimsuit? Be smart — and polite — about it, and keep the legalities in mind. You could be cited for indecent exposure or disorderly conduct. With that, may we present a few possible places to commune — with discretion — with nature:. Hippie Hollow , Comanche Trail, Austin hippiehollow. The vibe: This Travis County park ranks as the only official clothing-optional public park in Texas. Fit City finds out. Try hiking up- or down-stream a ways from popular watering holes like Gus Fruh, Twin Falls or Sculpture Falls, and visit at off hours if you plan to skinny-dip.
Go to Sixth Street this Mardi Gras and you are guaranteed to see more topless women than in the Playboy mansion. And for better or worse depending on your perspective , some women really want those beads. So what does the law say about getting topless in a public place? In theory, someone who intentionally takes off their clothes in a public place could be charged with any number of violations of the Texas Penal Code. For example, someone can be convicted of disorderly conduct when they intentionally make an offensive gesture or display in a public place that tends to incite an immediate breach of the peace. All the same, Texas courts have upheld disorderly conduct a class C misdemeanor convictions for topless women.