RE: Be careful of how you dress, Oct. 7.
The beauty of a women should be found in her thoughts and actions, her opinions and beliefs, her clothing choices, and anything else she damn pleases.
When the author wrote a letter to the Charlatan titled “Be careful about what you wear” he claimed that his “offense is not with women.” Regardless of where his offense was intended, he upset many.
Second-year human rights student Sally Johnson said, “This article offends me as a woman and as a Carleton student. It’s slut shaming at its finest.”
The author explained he is offended by the expectation that men should respect women who dress provocatively.
He ended his letter saying, “It’s high time we rise above the vanity and find beauty in honesty.” But he said that women who dress a certain way won’t be respected. By enforcing these unspoken rules on how a woman should or should not dress, however, he is forcing women to be dishonest with themselves.
Second-year journalism student Jacob Hoytema said, “It’s troubling that [he] seems to say the best way to deal with ‘a judgmental world’ is not to try to change the problems that make it judgmental, but instead to keep from expressing yourself to avoid ‘warranting responses.’”
The letter’s problematic opinion feeds into the societal problem of victim-blaming.
We teach women to dress conservatively, not to take naked photos, and to look out for potential rapists at all times. Instead, we should be teaching men to not sexually objectify women, not to leak nudes, and not to rape.
There is a victim-blaming epidemic that’s on the rise in society. The author said he isn’t telling women to change the way they dress, but that they will be less respected if they don’t dress a certain way.
The author said, “It’s hypocritical and naive to believe that people will see past whatever image you put on.” He’s right. Women want people to see the image they choose for themselves, it is intentional.
He is accusing women of being passive and oblivious. As if when a woman looks hot, she’s unaware.
The letter discussed an example of a woman working out at the gym. He said she was dressed in “inappropriate gym attire,” leaving readers curious as to what this attire could be. Assuming she wasn’t naked, odds are she was wearing what was most comfortable for her.
Even if she was dressed to look sexy, that was her choice. It does not warrant a lack of respect from her male peers. If they choose to think less of her because of her outfit choice, it speaks to their character rather than to her character or self respect.
“Why then do women find it plausible to go out dressed provocatively and expect less than demeaning responses?” Because women are not dressed “provocatively” to be demeaned by others. In fact, they’re probably not dressed for others. The way many women dress is a reflection of themselves.
Even if the goal of the outfit is to attract others, that is not wrong. A woman’s worth in terms of her thoughts, intelligence, and actions does not mean that she can’t also turn heads.
The author claimed to have a problem with women dressing provocatively because of the reactions it causes. Instead of addressing the issue of how women are treated, he’s placing the blame where it does not belong.
To be demeaned by someone is the crime. To dress in a way that pleases yourself is not.
