Britons Don't Like Sweaty, Bare-Chested Men

LONDON, July 28, 2006 — -- Last week, England suffered its hottest July day in nearly 100 years.

For some, though, the heat this month hasn't been the worst part, it's been the bare male chests that have accompanied it.

Yes, apparently, overheated men taking their shirts off is the biggest problem, not school closures or emergency services stuck working overtime.

Sure, the bare chests are pale and flabby, but are they really threatening and bad for business?

One British politician wants half-naked men banned from the streets.

"They're actually putting people off coming shopping in our town center," said Nicholas Bennett, who's on the Bromley Council of London's largest borough.

Some female fashion writers are campaigning for a bare-chest ban -- period.

"What if a guy's got a great six-pack?" said Angela Buttolph, fashion editor at Grazia Magazine. "I don't think it's the quality of the body, I think it's more the context. And the fact that other people have to be around you."

So even Patrick Swayze of "Dirty Dancing" vintage wouldn't be welcome, according to Buttolph, and neither would the volleyballing Tom Cruise from "Top Gun."

Nevermind that most men look more like Austin Powers.

Part of the problem is that Britons just aren't that good in the heat.

This week, it's been hotter in London than in Rome; Athens, Greece; and even Bermuda. For days like today, a loosened tie and an ice cream just really aren't enough.

"It's too hot," said one man, explaining why he had to remove his shirt.

So, would a ban on shirtless men be a good thing or a bad thing?

"Good thing," one woman said. "Some men smell. Badly."

The counterargument from the men: Deal with it; it won't last long. After all, how many times can you take your top off in England?

It's unlikely that the shirts-off ban will become law.

The idea will probably disappear with the summer heat.

Besides, where would it stop? If you banned bare chests, what would be next -- short shorts, open-toed sandals?