So, apparently the rule in NYC is that a topless woman in long pants is okay, and allegedly less distracting to drivers.
As a born-and-raised New Yorker, I feel entitled to ask “What the fuck?” regarding two incidents that occurred over the past two months in the Big Apple. That’s not a complaining “What the fuck?,” mind you, but a generic “What the fuck?,” meant to communicate a perplexity about how things are done in my hometown; a perplexity I’ve had since I was born.
Last month, a young female Dutch tourist was attending the annual New Amsterdam Bike Show in Manhattan, enjoying the event on her bicycle downtown around Broadway in Soho, when she stopped to check her map.
“This policeman was in a car, and he stopped next to me and got out of the car,” said Jasmijn Rijcken, 31. “I was like, 'Oh, my God, what did I do wrong?' I was by myself. I thought maybe I rode wrong or something. But he starts talking about the way I was dressed."
It turns out the cop, who was youngish, thought Rijcken riding her bike in her skirt was presenting a danger to city drivers.
“’He said I was distracting cars, and that it was dangerous, I shouldn't wear these clothes on a bike,’ said Rijcken, who added she was not scolded for not wearing a helmet.
The cop asked to see her identification, which indicated she was Dutch. "Oh, you're not from here,” she said he remarked.
AVN - New York City: Topless Pedestrians Okay, Skirts on Bikes Not
