Caroline Werner, a renowned Brazilian model, has fiercely criticized her country’s legal system after being arrested for public indecency. The incident occurred in May when Werner was stopped by police for walking her dogs topless near the beach in Balneário Camboriú, a popular coastal city in southern Brazil.
Werner, 37, was handcuffed and taken into custody for baring her chest in public. The arrest has since ignited a debate about gender equality and the legal freedoms extended to women versus men in Brazil. While men are free to be shirtless in public, Werner questions if the same liberties are truly afforded to women under the Brazilian constitution.
“Unfortunately in my country, even though the Constitution ensures gender equality, in practice, this does not happen,” Werner told the Brazilian outlet G1. “I cannot have the same freedom and I feel coerced by this system and the repressive interpretation of the law. What should be natural for both genders ends up being denied to one of them in an arbitrary and repressive manner.”
The controversy began when Werner decided to remove her top while walking her dogs home from a day at the beach. She was soon approached by several officers who arrested her, placed her in a van, and transported her to a police station where she was given a blouse to cover herself.
Werner’s arrest after walking her dogs topless has sparked outrage and a conversation about gender equality.
Werner claims that her rights were violated during the arrest. According to her, the police did not allow her to contact her family or a lawyer.
“When I arrived at the police station, they took me to a dark cell where I was handcuffed to the cell railing, without the right to communicate with any family member, friend, or lawyer,” she recounted. “I spent more than an hour in that situation, unable to speak to anyone. Even though I asked for it several times, I was denied my right to speak to my lawyer.”
A businesswoman who also owns a bikini line, Werner expressed her shock and dismay at being detained in her home country. She noted that in many places around the world, being topless is seen as a completely normal practice and a woman’s body is not objectified or hypersexualized in the same way.
“In many countries, it is a completely normal practice,” she said. “A woman’s body is not objectified and hypersexualized.”
Werner received a summons for committing an obscene act and was subsequently released. Article 233 of the Penal Code in Brazil defines the charge as “performing an obscene act in a public place, either open or exposed to the public.” However, the law does not specify what constitutes an “obscene act,” according to G1.
If found guilty, Werner could face a prison sentence ranging from three months to a year. The Santa Catarina state prosecutor’s office is handling the case and has offered her a plea deal. Werner, who has since moved from Balneário Camboriú, said she did not attend the initial hearing because she was not notified of it. Her attorney is currently requesting a new hearing date.
Werner believes the incident has been blown out of proportion, especially online where videos of her topless stroll quickly went viral.
“What happened to me, the abuse of authority and judgment by society, demonstrates how the interpretation of the law itself reflects gender conduct dictated by patriarchal, violent culture in relation to the control of female bodies,” she asserted.
Werner’s case has highlighted ongoing issues surrounding gender equality in Brazil and the need for a more equitable interpretation of the law. Her experience has sparked a broader conversation about the treatment of women and the necessity of challenging societal norms that perpetuate inequality.
As Werner continues to fight her legal battle, she hopes to bring attention to the discrepancies in the application of the law and advocate for a more just and equal society.