In Reply to: I remember posted by rakini on Thursday, 29. May 2008 at 08:08 Bali Time:
Then, and now in remote places, the women, especially the older ones, go topless within the confines of their own villages only. When venturing beyond their local areas they always cover/ed up.
Once westerners started going to Bali in numbers, the women often wore just a bra on top - because they were given them & wearing a bra is more comfortable in the heat & humidity.
Topless sunbathing (& g-strings) has been the norm in the beach areas mainly frequented by Europeans of all ages, because that's what they are used to in their home countries, despite what we Aussies or anyone else thinks about body image. I well remember our first trip to Bali watching the Europeans clad only in g-strings playing beach volleyball - hubby & I were both entranced, but for different reasons.