EDITOR'S VIEW
Judi Bobbit
Managing Editor,
Oshawa Whitby This Week
Going topless is not glamorous
Yes, I did it -- on a recent hot day, I threw my inhibitions to the wind and took
my top off.
I didn't do it without thought. I knew there might be repercussions; perhaps even
regret. It was after all, the middle of the week, and I was in business garb. But
the glorious June sunshine was too much to ignore and so I surrendered, giving into
the heady feeling of driving around topless.
Believe me, heading onto the 401 with no top is not all it's cracked up to be. Some
people stare, it's true, but there are other discomforts no one's told you about.
Oh I know it looks romantic and enticing as the topless motorist buzzes by, hair
floating on the wind, catching some rays. The topless motorist looks like he/she
is having the most fun possible just driving from point A to point B. At least,
it always looked that way to me, a driver who always had a top.
But I should have realized looks can be deceiving, and there are several good reasons
to leave your top on, particularly during business hours.
First, I struggled to remove the 11-pound roof panel, careful not to let it touch
my suit jacket, which was fresh from the drycleaners. My efforts, of course, only
ensured several smears of grease on my jacket, which ended crumbled in a ball on
the seat beside me. Next, I slap on the baseball cap to keep my hair from getting
too wild.
Then it's off to the highway, where the sun, beating down mercilessly into my black
interior, challenges the product that's "so effective you can skip a day."
On I drive topless, inviting envious glances from other drivers, as I eat exhaust
fumes from buses and transport trucks.
The highway pollution is so bad I'm soon taking a detour to a road less travelled.
This is what topless driving is all about -- fresh air, sparkling blue water, and
construction zones. Soon, I am eating dust. Covered in dust.
I arrive at my destination 15 minutes later, overly warm, dishevelled, hat hair.
This, I remembered too late, is the reason I always leave my top on and air conditioning
turned up full blast Monday to Friday.
I'm glad I tried it, this topless business. But you're unlikely to catch me without
mine again. At least until the weekend.