A Belgian man has been ordered by authorities to cover up his topless garden gnome as it was offending his neighbors. Louis Wils from Turnhout, Antwerp displays his nude gnome named Betty with pride, but he’s been told he needs to either put a shirt on the ornament or remove it. Defiantly, he’s refusing to do either.
- Betty was given to Louis as a gift from a neighbor. She’s standing with full tatas on display in his front garden alongside a few other more conservatively dressed gnomes, but Louis doesn’t see the problem with Betty showing off her wares. Despite police warning him that it could upset children passing by the property, Louis isn’t willing to concede.
- Louis thinks police should have better things to do with their time. After all, it’s only a topless gnome. “I can’t get my head around it. The city authorities have time on their hands to make remarks about my gnome,” he told VRT News. “They have threatened me with legal action. Dress Betty? The gnome isn’t made for that!”
- Even the supply company is confused by the drama. The company that makes Betty and other garden gnomes says that they can’t believe there’s so much controversy surrounding the topless gnome considering that she’s one of their best sellers, moving at least two units a day.
- It seems Louis and the city are at a bit of an impasse. Who’s to say what will happen here? Will authorities forcibly remove Betty from her home? Will Louis be fined if he refuses to cover her up? Does anyone really care all that much about fake boobs on a garden gnome? I suppose only time will tell!
