Historical Nonfiction

One of the first chest-revealing suits for men appeared in 1932 and was called the “Topper.” The suit had a detachable top that could be zipped away from the trunk bottoms. (It looked like the picture above, but with a weird zipper around the waist.) Unfortunately, men who chose to appear topless at the time were often arrested for indecent exposure. Women whose legs were exposed were often arrested, too, so it wasn’t sexism.