A Brief History of How Times Square Got So Naked

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“Free your mind! Free your nipples!” yelled one woman.

“I’m here to watch tits,” announced a man nearby.

This was Sunday. The occasion: New York’s Topless Parade, a procession of about 300 women who tromped their way through Times Square, the Crossroads of the World. While the parade is annual, this year’s mob-sized turnout came on the heels of last week’s promise by Mayor Bill de Blasio to crack down on bare-chested women—specifically, those who don body paint and pose for photos with wide-eyed tourists.

“This situation is going to change,” the mayor raged to the Observer.

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