Topless Diner Week in Review [NSFW]

Here's a little background about how a photo taken at an East Village restaurant apparently became "the topless shot heard 'round the world."

On Monday morning, Verso owner Labinot Baraliu told us about a woman who removed her top after walking into the Italian bistro on Avenue C and East Eighth Street the previous evening.

The folks at Verso asked the woman to put her shirt back on ... and after a brief protest, she and her dining companion, who was photographing the entire episode, left. For his part, Baraliu thought it was a funny little story that locals might like.

Probably so. Eater linked to the story on Monday morning. On Tuesday, Gothamist and Jezebel both linked to the post.

On Wednesday morning, we heard from a responsible party — East Village-based photographer Allen Henson. He recently moved here from Los Angeles. He had been out with model Cheyenne Lutek. He offered this background. "It was an impromptu photoshoot. We did two that night," he said. "The first establishment loved it and interacted, the other, well — we weren't there long."

Meanwhile on Wednesday, news of the topless diner had made it into the Daily News, MSN and The UK Daily Mail. The item was also seemingly syndicated to various FM radio station websites across the country... such as 94.5 "the Buzz — Houston's New Rock Alternative" and Dave and Chuck the Freak at 101 WRIF in Detroit. (Please keep in mind that we weren't sending this around to anyone to feature.)

Then a story on what happened appeared in The Corriere della Sera, an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan. Someone told us that it was the paper's most-viewed article for the day.

On Thursday, the Daily News had a feature titled "EXCLUSIVE: Sexy Cheyenne Lutek goes topless at East Village restaurants."


[Allen Henson via the Daily News]

Then the UK Daily Mail picked up the story again with this breathless headline: 'I'm not ashamed of my body': Model who was kicked out of New York restaurant for exposing her breasts speaks out

There was, apparently, even more coverage. Per the Daily Mail:

It's the topless shot heard 'round the world. A picture of a comely blonde who took off her shirt at a trendy New York restaurant has become an internet sensation - picked up by publications from Italy to Russia to China.

Closer to home, the Daily News really liked this story, as it was the basis for a political cartoon on Friday.


[Via Crazy Eddie]

By last night, Lutek was posing with the NYPD on Avenue C.


[Allen Henson via Twitter]

In the end, that post from Monday became the second most-viewed in EVG history, far behind another post about a topless woman. All this maybe provides some insights about how the media works. Or maybe what's wrong with the media. (Or humanity?) And it's probably too late to put up a paywall ...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Female diner decides to go topless last night at Verso

Report: East Village topless advocate now living and spreading her message in Philadelphia

[Second Avenue and East 11th Street last summer; reader submitted]

East Village topless advocate Moira Johnston made international headlines last summer for walking around, well, topless. She was raising awareness that it's OK and perfectly legal for women to be topless in the city. (She has a website titled Topless Moira, which has not been updated since last summer.)

Despite the return of spring-summer (sprummer), people have said that they haven't seen Johnston in the neighborhood — topless or otherwise.

Cassandra Garrison at Metro has an update today:

Now, as warm weather returns to the east coast, Johnston, 30, is spreading her message in Philadelphia, but scaling it back a notch by covering her nipples with a pair of pasties. She was spotted in Philly’s Rittenhouse Square yesterday, according to New Jersey 101.5. Apparently, she is a native of the City of Brotherly love. Johnston also said her mom is a breast cancer survivor who supports her nude endeavors.

Meanwhile, International Go-Topless Day is Sunday, Aug. 25.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] There is a woman who has been walking around the East Village topless (NSFW)

Shocking revelations: People like looking at photos of topless women on the Internet (NSFW)

Topless advocate Moira Johnston still making headlines this summer

[Second Avenue and East 11th Street; reader submitted]

Via Gothamist yesterday, we've learned more about East Village topless advocate Moira Johnston ... who we first wrote about back on May 18... as you probably know, she has been raising awareness that it's OK and perfectly legal for women to be topless in the city....

The Daily Beast featured Johnston in a post this past weekend... (Probably NSFW)

According to the article, her advocacy campaign started in January ... after a yoga studio banished her for taking off her top in class. "Some of the other yogis complained to the owners about her bare breasts, but Johnston thought it unfair that men be allowed to go topless in Downward Dog while women are forced to keep their mammaries in their Lululemon tanks."

Since then, she has filed legal complaints against 13 yoga studios.

Meanwhile, you've likely seen her walk around the neighborhood ... she told The Daily Beast that she has received mostly positive comments from passersby ... except for "the man who told her he’d just gotten out of prison and was going to hurt her."

"I considered carrying mace [after that encounter], but that's absolutely not a common occurrence," Johnston says, adding that she's never been groped or assaulted. "Most people are fairly respectful, at least in terms of my physical space."

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] There is a woman who has been walking around the East Village topless

Shocking revelations: People like looking at photos of topless women on the Internet

Shocking revelations: People like looking at photos of topless women on the Internet

Last Friday, we posted the item about the topless advocate who was walking around the neighborhood topless. (This post.)

Since then, we've received quite a few more photos (which we never posted) of the women, first identified by Racked as Moira Johnston.

Anyway, our post quickly became the most-viewed, uh, post in EV Grieve's five-year history, easily topping the former No. 1 — The East Village rolls out welcome wagon for new Starbucks.

Which begs the question: Will you start posting more photos of topless women?

Yes. And we will also include some peen for equal time.

Actually, that wasn't the question.

This is: What was the least-viewed EV Grieve post of all time?

Oh! So many to choose from.

Blogger doesn't keep track of such things. But if we had to guess. It was this one from July 9, 2008...

Per the post:

Drug store celebrity exit wars
Duade Reade has Mario Lopez gracing its exits (and disguising the store's security system). Not to be outdone, Rite Aid (at least the one on 14th Street between Avenues A and B) wants us to smell like David Beckham.

According to Google Analytics, no one even casually glimpsed at this post.

An interview with the topless advocate

Moira Johnston, the activist who has been raising awareness that it's OK and perfectly legal for women to be topless in the city, continues to receive attention. (Amazing, huh?)

The Post has a brief today about her...

Also, via Gothamist, we learn that Joey Boots filmed a video interview with her the other day at Union Square. Highlights include the man who says she is "going against God's law." She's topless here, so NSFW...



Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] There is a woman who has been walking around the East Village topless

[Updated] There is a woman who has been walking around the East Village topless

NSFW if you keep scrolling

In the past two weeks, multiple readers have sent us emails asking if we had seen a woman walking around the neighborhood topless.

We had not. And we had not seen any photographic evidence of this.

Until now.

Here is a photo via ‏@AskWass ... who noted in a tweet last evening: "Topless girl is Just wandering the east village on this lovely Thursday."

One reader believes that she is simply reminding people that women have the same right as men to appear topless in public. (We don't know for sure if that is her intention. If she would like to contact us via the EV Grieve email ...)

In fact, it has been legal for woman to go topless in New York City since 1992.

Updated:
A reader passed along this photo from outside Whole Foods on Union Square ...

And via @michalmeer1 ... on Second Avenue two weeks ago...

Updated: 3:27 Friday ...

Racked roving photographer Atisha Paulson caught up with the woman, Moira Johnston, yesterday in Union Square ... and interviewed her about her ensemble... Find the interview here. ...

Bonus Q-and-A excerpt:

Can you tell us a little bit about your outfit?

I'm going topless today. It's to raise awareness that's it's legal for woman to be topless anywhere a guy can be without a shirt since 1992 here in New York State.