Women’s provocative attire attracts offensive attention
I hate catcalls.
I hate whistles and hoots, being ogled at and all other implicit remarks that are crude and arrogant. These remarks make me feel objectified and marginalized and imply a lack of respect. To put it bluntly, it’s sexual harassment and I hate it when it happens to any girl.
Worse still, I seem to be the only one who feels this way.
It may sound prudish, but today young women dress extremely provocative. Pop culture stars such as Britney Spears and her cronies have cultivated a fashion palate that leaves nothing to the imagination. Tight pants, low-cut and sheer blouses and brightly patterned intimates worn as normal clothing are today’s trend. Everywhere I look I see body parts and outlines, and I’m amazed guys can manage to walk in a straight line without tripping because of the distracting displays. It’s a wonder any male manages to graduate at all.
Why doesn’t anyone else think these getups are ridiculous? These women look like they woke up five minutes ago and stumbled into a costume closet from a local children’s theater or got dressed in the dark. But it’s not accidental; these clothes are worn to attract attention, reveal carefully selected body parts and focus attention on that particular anatomy.
I’ve often wondered why women need to have that attention in the first place.
For many years, I’ve refused to dress seductively. In junior high at 4 foot 8 and 87 pounds, I wore XXL sweaters daily. Today, I usually wear baggy sweaters to conceal my figure so guys’ first instinct when they see me doesn’t involve X-rated mental imagery because I feel violated and degraded when viewed as a sexual object.
Once, in an attempt to be more fashionable, I wore a shirt that was form-fitting and a male classmate who came to ask me a question ended up blatantly staring at my chest.
“My eyes are up here!” I said scornfully. He blushed and ran, but I was left feeling angry and awkward - there’s a significant difference between appreciation of the female form and downright voyeurism.
So, my solution to the problem continues to be a self-imposed version of a burqa, the loose garment traditionally worn by Muslim women. I don’t want men to gape, so I cover myself up, but I hate that it’s necessary. I shouldn’t need to cover myself to be respected, nor should I have to wear a garbage bag in order to avoid being “undressed” by prying gazes - no girl should.
Unfortunately, women are often to blame for being demeaned by men, and contrary to certain feminist mantras, girls dress themselves. We’re not witless pawns subject to male whim. In fact, we’re more to blame because we objectify ourselves when we have the most power to stop it.
But so far all we’ve done is encourage it. The sexual revolution of the 1960s and ’70s brought about this vast exposé, and now men are so oversexed they can’t look at a woman - even one who’s modestly dressed - in a platonic, non-sexual way. Many men can’t even bother to be subtle about it. Maybe they think women will be overwhelmed by their amazing “check-her-out skills,” and crumble submissively at their feet.
In the face of all this sexual squalor, female intellect is deteriorating, both literally and in the public’s perception. Women who exploit their bodies are given no credit for having any intelligence. As a result, many intelligent girls are compelled to cover themselves to prevent being misjudged. You’re pretty or you’re smart - there is no between.
An ideal American society would allow freedom of expression but still give props to modesty. Unfortunately, it’s not likely to materialize any time soon. Until men are able to override their reproductive desires, and women stop dressing to satisfy the male appetite, people like me will just have to keep wearing baggy sweaters.
Read the original article online here.
