The citizens of Mallorca, a Spanish island in the Mediterranean, are fed up with a lack of decency shown by tourists. The new law proposes fines for indecent attire in the capital, Palma.
Though CNN reports that beaches are still a safe-haven for those tourists with distaste for covering themselves, officials maintain that they are sick of seeing unmentionable parts that would be concealed in any civilized part of the world. According to the deputy mayor, he knows of no “upscale resort town that allows this practice.”
A view of the beaches of Palma
This law is part of a greater movement on the island to tackle “anti-social behavior” on the island. Though no detailed plan has been revealed as to the punishments proposed for the “exhibitionists,” certain newspapers have expressed a fear that unwitting tourists will become financial victims of this so-called “Bikini Ban.”
The citizens of Mallorca are empowering their own sensibilities in this law. This law is part of what is being called the “good citizen plan,” and is part of a series of acts that will promote more socially responsible behavior. Though many natives have expressed a distasted for what they call “letting it all hang out,” the law will not apply to boardwalks or side streets adjacent to the beach.
Mallorca is a popular destination for many from Northern Europe, where the climate is less conducive to visiting a beach, let alone wearing a bikini. Though the law states that nobody can be “naked or nude” in public places “devoid of superior clothing,” the practice will be hard to implement on the foreigners who flock to the island to escape the dreariness and down coats they make use of at home.
This “Bikini Ban” will enforce clothed visitors in establishments in the city, while attempting to maintain beach comfort. You will still be able to get a tan on the beach or quickly run and grab refreshment, but will no longer be forced to suffer the consequences of other people’s lack of vanity.
