Women given free cycling shorts to prevent upskirting on Oktoberfest amusement ride

Women at Munich's Oktoberfest are being given free cycling shorts to prevent upskirting on the Teufelsrad amusement ride. This measure follows an investigation by German journalists that uncovered tens of thousands of voyeuristic videos, many focusing on women in dirndl dresses, circulating online. The Teufelsrad, a spinning ride, has become a target for filming under skirts, an act illegal in Germany since 2020. The ride operator, Elisabeth Polaczy, is distributing the shorts to ensure women feel secure, having given out over 100 pairs this Oktoberfest. Despite warning signs and police efforts, controlling filming with smartphones remains challenging, though arrests for upskirting have occurred at the festival.

At Munich's Oktoberfest, the operator of the Teufelsrad amusement ride is distributing free cycling shorts to women. This measure was implemented after thousands of voyeuristic videos, some viewed millions of times, emerged on social media showing women on the ride with their skirts lifted. The Teufelsrad's rotating platform often causes traditional dirndl dresses to fly up. While filming under skirts is illegal in Germany, critics argue the law is insufficient, and some videos have reportedly been digitally altered. Investigations suggest professional YouTubers and individuals from Bavaria are behind the circulation of at least 32,000 such videos.