When on vacation, do you change into clothes after leaving the beach or do you wear your bathing suit to nearby restaurants and bars? If you are heading to Mallorca this summer wearing swimwear outside of a beach area can cost you upwards of $600 Euros! So bring a maxi dress, or t-shirt, just make sure you cover up!
The City Council of Mallorca proposed to ban swimwear in public spaces this summer. It’s not that they don’t think you have a sexy body they just don’t want to condone “lowbrow” behavior. Deputy Mayor of Palma, Alvaro Giljon states:
“I don’t know of any upscale resort towns that allows this practice.”
Yikes. In other words keep that behavior on the Jersey Shore and Miami. Luckily the ban does not apply to boardwalks or streets adjacent to the beach. Other proposals include banning buckets and glass from the beach and fining cyclists who ride on the pavement. These laws are part of the “Good Citizen” plan and will be enforced at the end of May just in time for summer.
I visited Mallorca 10 years ago as a part of my High School’s exchange program. I was there in mid February so thankfully I did not experience some of “despicable sights” that some supporters of the ban face on a regular basis. One reader comments:
“I’ve lived on Mallorca for the past 11 years and it makes my skin crawl when I have to stand behind some fat sweaty individual in the supermarket who thinks it’s OK to let it all hang out.” WELL DAMN!
I’m all for individual expression but I also understand why this reader may be offended. There have been many times in Miami Beach when I’ve seen someone shopping in bikini tops at Publix. Whether the person is in shape, overweight, I don’t care because how they dress does not affect me. I have seen everything under the sun on Eastern Parkway on Labor Day so at this point there is nothing that really offends my eyes. A ban like this will never work in places like Miami and Ibiza. People walking around in sexy beach wear has become part of the party culture in these locales.
Barcelona imposed a similar ban in 2011 and the Italian coastal town Vietri Sul Mare did the same. Do you think other places should follow suit? Does it offend you if you see someone in swimwear dining at a nearby restaurant?
