Topless Women in Times Square Under Fire for Posing With Underage Kids

I definitely didn’t know this, but apparently topless women in New York City’s Times Square is a sure sign that spring has arrived:

However, not every seems to be as happy as Bill Fink about this, and the topless and body-painted gals who walk around Times Square are causing an uproar over allegedly taking money from children for pictures with them.

According to a report from the New York Post, underage tourists as young as 14 have been targeted by the topless, patriotic women who know that kids these days have some spending money and would want photos with them. Brian Mathis, NYC tour guide to middle schoolers across the country who has seen this process in action, thinks it is just wrong.

“They’re engaging in child pornography,” says Mathis. “There was no question these kids were underage. There is no gray area. When I told the girl he was 14 years old, she said, ‘It’s all right. We’re allowed to do this.'”

The topless gal may have a point, as police can’t arrest the women because there are no laws against baring your breasts in public in NYC. But Mathis says the problem isn’t nudity, it’s that the children who are being preyed upon for money aren’t old enough to consent to the photos.

I don’t know whose side I’m on in this controversy just yet, but I am certain about one thing: These ladies make me proud to be an American.