Why French women are tanning topless less

Fewer women in France are tanning topless.

The French Elle magazine believes the days of tanning topless for French women are over. According to a report by The Guardian women have refrained from tanning topless due to health concerns, a ‘pornified’ perception of topless women and the rise of breast-affiliated activism.

Topless tanning has been a sign of liberation for French women since the 1960s, but now only two percent of women under 35 said that they do it.

Alice Pfeiffer, a journalist, thinks the decline is linked to social media.

"Young women in their 20s do it less because they are aware that… you can end up topless on your own Facebook wall," said Pfeiffer.

She blames ‘pop-porn culture’ for the shift in perception.

A Paris-based writer, Valeria Costa-Kostritsky, believes it is less about skin damage and more about vanity.

"Women of my generation have always been told that the sun was bad for our skin. But add sun damage to gravity and the fear is you won't have pretty breasts," she said.