Brad Templeton's Photography
Critical Tits

Critical Tits

Each year a group organizes a mass bike ride, modelled after the Critical Mass bike ride in San Francisco. In the SF ride, hundreds and thousands of bikes gather for the Friday evening commute, taking over the road and feeling safe in numbers.

On the Playa, women who want to enjoy the freedom to not wear a top (that men enjoy in ordinary society) gather together for a mass bike ride. There are many hundreds of them. What's great as well is that many women who want that freedom but don't feel safe -- even at Burning Man, topless women will get enough unwanted attention to scare them away from it -- get a chance to feel safe in the crowd. And there's a fine party after that.

I followed the ride and a normally more shy friend who rode in it. And sure, I took many photos, for even though breasts may become commonplace and thus normal in Black Rock City, that doesn't mean we guys stop admiring. (We keep admiring women's bodies even when they're fully clothed, too.) We just get a chance to stop treating it as something shocking and unexpected.

The women in non-group photos here gave their permission to be photographed and appear on a web site.

You'll find other pictures of the parade from other years including Critical Tits 2002 and a couple of Critical Tits 2001 Party shots.

The very start of Critical Tits.  The woman charge in huge numbers, proud and excited
(1280 x 853 - 90K)
The very start of Critical Tits. The woman charge in huge numbers, proud and excited
Get some sense of the tremendous large size of the parade this year
(1280 x 853 - 82K)
Get some sense of the tremendous large size of the parade this year
A fragment of the parade goes through the flags
(1280 x 853 - 83K)
A fragment of the parade goes through the flags
Parade continues down esplanade
(1280 x 853 - 127K)
Parade continues down esplanade
Parade in front of Oregon Country Fair Camp
(1280 x 853 - 152K)
Parade in front of Oregon Country Fair Camp
The party after the critical tits parade
(1280 x 853 - 109K)
The party after the critical tits parade
Another shot of party after parade.  Tastefully shot with signs and no breasts so you can show it anywhere.
(1280 x 853 - 106K)
Another shot of party after parade. Tastefully shot with signs and no breasts so you can show it anywhere.

Burning Man 2001 Index

The Art | Vehicles | Scenes | People | Before the Burn | The Burn
Camps | Critical Tits | The Man

Panoramic Photos for this trip