Images of people receiving tickets at Rockaway Beach in New York in 1946 for “indecent exposure”

Photographer Sam Shere of LIFE magazine documented the “indecent exposure” phenomenon in these old images taken in 1946 in Rockaway Beach, New York.

Shere’s series begins with a notice that says, “wear robes to and from the beach.” It then features males strolling the beachfront in only their shorts, women sunbathing in high-waisted two-pieces, and the beachgoers’ apparent indifference to the police issuing them tickets for “indecent exposure.”
When people wore their swimsuits anywhere other than the beach in 1946, it was deemed “indecent,” and visitors to Rockaway Beach in New York were required to wear robes both to and from the beach.

What actions did police take to try to restrict bathing suits to the beach, or even to the water only? What do the controversies surrounding bathing suits in the city reveal about the attitudes of the authorities towards women’s and men’s bodies in urban spaces? These questions shed light on the changing ways that people chose to present their bodies in public during the 20th century.