Women have responsibility not to provoke men with their clothing
I read your column, “I wore short shorts to school” (March 22, Citizen). Although I agree that men or boys have a responsibility not to lust after women, I also feel that women have a responsibility to not provoke men with sexually provocative clothing.
Men are hardwired to be sexually stimulated by the visual appearance of women. This is how the biology works. When a physically attractive woman wears clothing that is sexually provocative, many men are almost compelled to stare at such a woman. I have had that experience myself and I have observed it in other men also. Not all men react like that to provocatively dressed women but I suspect the majority do.
So, I do feel that women have a responsibility to dress modestly in most public spaces. In yoga philosophy, modesty is considered a soul quality because it helps everyone to keep their minds on a higher plane.
Also, teenagers have a high level of sexual hormones and I believe sexually provocative clothing encourages acting on those hormones. Teenagers are tempted enough in the best of environments.
There are also men who dress inappropriately so both sexes need to be considerate.
David Desmond Joy
Victoria