No one told the dazzling beauty Josephine Skriver that a recent coverline in French Elle read: ‘La Fin Du Topless Sur La Plage?’ Photographer Chris Colls snapped luscious images of Skriver, styled by Maya Zapinic, for the summer 2014 issue of Porter Magazine.

Back to French Elle, ‘Yes’ answered the magazine ‘it’s over’, citing increasing concerns over health and the dangers of skin cancer; the ‘pornified’ perceptions of topless women as being morally loose; and — surprisingly to us — the rise of breast-affiliated activism, writes The Guardian.

The lead organization in naked breasts activism is FEMEN. French Elle also introduces us to Free the Nipple, a campaign encouraging women to go topless as a way of rejecting the stigma of the female body. Free the Nipple is the brainchild of Scout Willis, daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis.

Article author Alice Pfeiffer, who does sunbathe topless, cites what we believe should be the lead reason one doesn’t sunbathe topless, saying: “Young women in their 20s do it less because they are aware that … you can end up topless on your own Facebook wall.” Translated, you never know who is pointing a lens in your direction and what that person will do with it.

I would also add that the increasing numbers of Muslims living in France may have a dampening impact on breast-baring.

This French trend to bikinis is not universal in Europe. After all, Josephine Skriver is Danish. The National Danish Performance Team caused a scandal in Brazil last year, taking time to relax on Copacabana Beach sans tops. It’s news to me, also, that topless sunbathing is typically not done in public in Brazil and is seen by some as an ‘obscene act’.

If breast-baring and more is your preference, one can always travel to the nudist town of Cap d’Agde, what Huff Po calls ‘France’s well-established “naked city” where beach nudity is “technically mandatory.”’ And for good measure, Thrillest shares 18 of the best nude beaches in Europe. ~ Anne