AFP Relax – Wed, May 28, 2014 12:12 AM MYT- The Topless Tour Facebook picture
An online siren call for women to bare their chest and confront the world has become the latest viral trend, with scores of women joyously taking their tops off in some of the most bucolic settings in the world and Instagramming the moment in a movement called “The Topless Tour.”
After 'rooftopping,' in which daredevils scale the world’s tallest skyscrapers to capture stunning photos of the world below, the latest viral photo sharing trend is less death-defying, but perhaps no less thrilling.
The photos are tasteful; nothing is gratuitous.
Typically, women pose with arms outstretched above their heads, backs to the cameras, and play supporting -- sometimes starring -- roles to stunning scenes of nature.
Though the movement started last year, it’s begun to gain traction around the world, with more than 9,000 Instagram followers, and 5,700 Facebook likes.
Submissions include photos taken in Idaho, Cape Town, Las Vegas, Norway, British Columbia, Thailand, and California and include everything from zen yoga poses on turquoise beaches to half-naked bunny shots on wintry ski slopes and an action shot during a bungee jump in the Swiss Alps.
What began as a spontaneous moment between a trio of friends during a hike in Norway, in which the London-based dancers decided to go topless, has become an internet hit.
In an interview with GrindTV.com, friends Lydia Buckler, Olivia Edington, and Ingvild Marstein Olsen said they soon became “addicted” to the liberating gesture of taking their tops off in the great outdoors and began accumulating more photos, posting them under the hashtag #thetoplesstour, which promptly garnered an enthusiastic, international following.
Among their top five reasons to go naked?
In addition to it being “good for the soul,” the trio promises that time will stand still and make you feel “so alive.”
Check out the topless tour photos on http://instagram.com/the_topless_tour.
