tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9279394.post1754218051581580595..comments2023-10-06T08:53:14.731-04:00Comments on Eternal vigilance: "None but ourselves can free our minds"Ricketsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579799843541826447noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9279394.post-54968801044211323662013-01-31T17:48:36.086-05:002013-01-31T17:48:36.086-05:00p.s. There is also the issue of whether their atti...p.s. There is also the issue of whether their attire will affect how the cops respond to a report of sexual assault. Despite the unfairness of such prejudice, such encounters are not common enough to dictate day-to-day clothing decisions, nor do they demand that women strike a perfect balance between showing too much and too little skin.Ricketsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02579799843541826447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9279394.post-11272275387906115662013-01-31T14:59:42.628-05:002013-01-31T14:59:42.628-05:00I was racking my mind last night trying to think o...I was racking my mind last night trying to think of situations in which wearing a short skirt could increase the chance of a woman being attacked.<br /><br />I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with sexual attacks by strangers (though muggers might see opportunities in impractical and expensive clothes). Maybe a particular rapist targets women in short skirts, while another targets "prudes". <br /><br />Likewise, it probably has nothing to do with sexual assault by intimates (though outside of mainstream American society a woman could probably be beaten by her father for wearing a skimpy outfit).<br /><br />The final scenario that I considered was assault by acquaintances (e.g. date rape). Here I could imagine a scenario where a man interpreted an outfit as being sexually suggestive and was consequently more assertive than he would have been otherwise. Maybe he would feel offended if his advances were rebuffed, and become violent.<br /><br />So here, a woman might be in a bit of a bind, especially if she wants to wear something "flirty" to express interest in the date, but doesn't want it to be interpreted as "provocative".<br /><br />That situation sucks, but I still don't think that it supports the thesis of the essay. It just suggests that a woman might want to error on the side of caution when selecting clothes for a date, and only bring out the sexy clothes for a date with someone who is trusted. Being rejected by superficial guys is not the worst thing in the world.Ricketsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02579799843541826447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9279394.post-56233981818087957822013-01-31T12:43:29.942-05:002013-01-31T12:43:29.942-05:00Even in the other direction the argument made ther...Even in the other direction the argument made there about the meaning of women's clothing hits a snag: there's women who have been sexually assaulted who were wearing long pants at the time.<br /><br />The problem isn't how much or how little leg a woman shows. Rape isn't a matter of aesthetics.b-psychohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15172010361866675350noreply@blogger.com