Photos of the First Topless Summer At Berlin’s Public Pools

This article originally appeared on VICE Germany.

In March 2023, Berlin officially allowed everyone to be topless at the pool - including people with boobs. Before that, being topless wasn’t explicitly forbidden, but it wasn’t really allowed either. 

The change in rules happened after several women tried to go topless swimming in pools, but the staff wouldn’t let them in. One of them was 33-year-old Lotte Mies who filed a successful discrimination at the city’s department for justice, diversity and anti-discrimination.

In August, VICE photographer Zejna Halilbašić went for a swim with her camera at the Neukölln outdoor pool to document how women feel about the new rules. They preferred to only share their first names or use an alias for privacy reasons.

Anna doesn't really care about what others think about her being topless. But sometimes, she worries people might feel uncomfortable because it’s not fully accepted in our society yet. She’s hopeful, though. “It’s getting better,” she says. “If we just keep doing it, we’ll get there eventually. If not now, then maybe sometime in the hopefully near future.”

Lucia feels like the change happened quite fast and many people don’t even pay attention to topless women anymore. Being topless feels safe to her. “At least here, in this somewhat quieter area, I don't feel the male gaze,” she says. “Or I haven't perceived it that way.”

She’s with a group of people who are all topless, too, which makes her feel more comfortable. “But I also go topless alone to the Prinzenbad [an outdoor pool in Kreuzberg] and feel safe there on the sun platforms.”

Margit has come to this pool since she was a child and has fond memories of it. Unfortunately, she’s recently been stared down by a teenager because she was topless. “He probably wanted to start a fight,” she says. Since the incident, she’s been sitting at a different spot, but still topless. She won't let this experience ruin her great memories at the pool.

Olga really likes sunbathing topless because it makes her feel free. “I like my body and I've always sunbathed this way,” she says. “It's great that you can do it in Berlin now.”

“I had a child a few years ago and I breastfed,” Ida says. “Then I thought, ‘Shit, these breasts can do so much, I don't need to hide them!’” Since then, it's been easier for her to go topless. But at the pool, it depends on the general atmosphere. “Right now, I find it easy because it’s quiet,” she says. '“On very busy days, it’s harder, because you have a lot of other people close to you.”