Ok, I’m sure SOME women do that. But it seems like the popular opinion (held by men) is that women who dress in revealing clothes do it because they want sexual attention from men, want to show off their body (to men), want people to look at their body, etc. and I don’t think that’s true. I just think a lot of men don’t understand how women pick their outfits. At least for me and most of my female friends, we are into fashion and pick our outfits based on our own aesthetic preferences, what pieces and cuts we think look good together, we are inspired by celebrities we like and runway shows and things like that.

If I put on an outfit that would be considered revealing, I never once think about wanting sexual attention or wanting to draw people to look at my body. I just like the outfit and if anything, I want people to look at the outfit I’ve put together not the body that’s modeling it. And if I want attention from anyone, it’s from other women who like fashion. I feel confident in a revealing outfit I like, just like I feel confident in a modest outfit I like, because wearing clothes that fit my personal taste makes me happy and feel comfortable. I don’t think I’m a unique case, any woman I know who cares at all about fashion (which is a lot of women) feels the same way.

I think women wearing revealing clothes for male attention or so people look at their body is actually way more rare than doing it because they want people to look at the outfit, unless they’re a body builder or specifically going to a bar to meet men or something. It seems like a lot of men don’t see this because it’s less common for them to care about style/fashion in the same way and they’re more likely to be focused on a woman’s body/if they’re sexually attractive than what specifically they’re wearing. But just because that’s what some men take away from a woman in a revealing outfit, that doesn’t mean those were her intentions.

Nobody has to like it, but men shouldn’t insist that women have intentions we are saying we don’t have because they don’t see our perspective. The same thing goes for other female appearance choices that are seen at “attention seeking” like dyed hair, piercings, very out their alternative style… people in general want attention and recognition from their community and in group whether it’s fellow fashion enthusiasts, the local punk scene, the popular girls in high school, whatever it is for the person at their stage of life. For most women, I truly don’t think it’s men in most cases and occasions.