by Julie Riggert,
Iowa State University, USA.
They are seen every day; magazine covers explode with
their pictures; television and movie screens
constantly display them prancing around. Because
provocatively dressed women are seen so frequently,
many people might believe that their impact on others,
especially males, is diminishing.
Surprisingly, this is not the case. Many researchers
have shown that women who dress seductively, wearing
very little attire or showing ample amounts of skin,
are creating a harmful environment for themselves.
This pattern of dress can encourage males to vent
their feelings and emotions by acting out in violence,
often in the form of rape.
"Male sex is hunting and scanning: boys hang yelping
from honking cars, acting like jerks over strolling
girls; men lunching on girders go through the
primitive book of wolf whistles and animal clucks.
Everywhere, the beautiful woman is scrutinized and
harassed. She is the ultimate symbol of human desire"
(Paglia 32).
Why is clothing so important and have such an impact
on others? Clothing plays a significant role in the
socialization process that leads to the development of
one's self. It is seen as a "second skin" or extension
of the bodily self (Sweeney 411).
Clothes' characteristics transmit information about
age, sex, personality traits, socioeconomic status,
values, political ideologies, etc. They may also
indicate inter personal attitudes, such as,
aggressiveness, availability, gracefulness, arrogance,
etc. (Satrapa 159).
At times this form of expression may result with what
some perceive as negative consequences. When
strategically surrounded by clothing, many areas of
the body may function like traffic lights, stopping
and starting points that direct the eye to a further
destination-thus fulfilling what Freud regarded as a
major component of the sex drive, "the libido for
looking" (Dyett 14).
After establishing that clothing is an essential
aspect of appearance, it is now necessary to
investigate its importance in forming first
impressions. Frequently, the impression that a woman
may be trying to portray isn't the same impression
that is interpreted by others as seen in one
experiment. Introductory psychology classes were shown
one of two slides: one slide represented a female
model wearing 'conservative' clothing while the other
slide depicted the model in sexually provocative
clothing.
Questionnaires were filled out indicating impressions
of the female. The model in the sexy clothing was
judged to be more attractive and sexually appealing to
men; she was viewed more negatively with respect to
age of first intercourse, sexual teasing, extent of
sexual activity, using sex for personal gain, and
faithfulness in marriage.
The sexy model was also viewed as more likely to be
raped or robbed (Cahoon 65). Many people doubt that a
woman's attire could drive a man to rape, but studies
prove that clothing could be a major factor in
motivating a male to act out in this manner.
An experiment done at Augusta College drew up the
following results: the relationship between sexy
clothing and robbery/rape supports the assumption that
the culture views women who choose to be sexually
attractive as being suitable objects for male
aggression. Females who enhance their sexual appeal to
males are viewed as somehow "asking for it."
In summary, the study seems to indicate that females
wearing sexually oriented clothes are perceived by
both men and women as being "more vulnerable to
victimization and more responsible for crimes
committed against them than are women who dress more
conservatively" (Edmonds 446).
Arguments arise as to who is responsible for the rape:
the provocatively dressed female, or the assailant.
The opinions of some senior high school students were
recorded in the following experiment.
Each student was given the same scenario involving a
woman their age who was raped, and then they were to
decide who was responsible for the behavior.
In order to investigate the influence of the victim's
attire on the subjects' responses, the story was
accompanied by either a photograph of the woman
dressed provocatively, a photograph of the woman
dressed conservatively, or no photograph at all.
Results found that the victim wearing provocative
dress resulted in a greater likelihood that the
subjects would attribute responsibility for the
assailant's behavior to the victim for the date rape.
Provocative clothing was also associated with a
greater tendency for subjects to agree that the
behavior of the assailant was justified.
Further, the results indicate that the subjects were
less likely to make judgments of rape when the victim
was dressed provocatively (Cassidy 319-323). This
experiment showed that the impression the victim
presented is interpreted as evidence for her
willingness to have sex.
Everyone has his or her own opinion of who is
responsible for the rape in a case similar to the one
previously described, but what does the law say about
a woman's responsibility for the actions of others as
a result of her style of dress?
In 1986, the U.S. Supreme Court endorsed guidelines on
sexual harassment, and in this decision it was said
that evidence of a "woman's allegedly provocative
conduct or clothing might be relevant evidence in some
cases in determining whether she found particular
advances unwelcome" (160 Johnson).
This decision supported the notion that victims of
sexual harassment, as a result of their choice of
clothing, should be held at least partially
responsible for their own harassment.
As I reflect on the data that was collected from
numerous experiments, including my own, I have drawn
several conclusions.
First, it is important to state that no woman is ever
safe from harassment and rape.
"By rating the provocative model as likely to provoke
sexual harassment, subjects are able to dissociate
themselves from a similar occurrence by stressing that
the female provoked the incident and reasoning that if
they avoid 'provoking' behaviors, such as dressing in
provocative clothing, they can prevent sexual
harassment" (Johnson 170).
Although no woman is ever completely safe from this
violence, there are certain precautions that can be
taken to minimize the amount of harassment that will
take place.
As the studies showed, women who dress provocatively
have a higher rate for getting raped and robbed for
various reasons. As stated earlier, males are
attracted to certain features on a female, and when a
woman accents these features with her style of dress,
it entices males to stop and take a closer look.
I am impartial as to whether it is "ethical" or not to
dress seductively, but I do believe every person has a
right to do with his or her body as he or she pleases.
I feel it is never right to physically or emotionally
harm anyone knowingly. Females need to realize,
though, that they are putting themselves at a higher
risk for violence when they dress in a sexually
oriented manner.
Is the price a woman pays to look dazzling worth the
detrimental effects it could have on her life? The
decision is in her hands.
References
Cahoon, D. D. "Estimates of Oppostie-Sex First
Impressions Related to Female' Clothing Style."
Perceptual and Motor Skills 65 (1987): 406.
Cassidy, Linda, and Rose Marie Hurrell. "The Influence
of Victim's Attire on Adolescents' Judgments of Date
Rape." Adolescence 30 (1995): 319-323.
Dyett, Linda. "Desperately Seeking Skin." Psychology
Today 29 (1996): 14.
Edmonds, Ed M. "Attitudes Concerning Crimes Related to
Clothing Worn by Female Victims." Bulletin of the
Psychonomic Society 24 (1986): 444-446.
Johnson, Kim K., and Jane E. Workman. "Clothing and
Attributions Concerning Sexual Harassment." Home
Economics Research Journal 21 (1992): 160-172.
Paglia, Camille. Sexual Personae. New York: Vail
Ballou Press, 1990.
Satrapa, Andrea, et al. "Influence of Style of Dress
on Formation of First Impressions." Perceptual and
Motor Skills 74 (1992): 159-162.
Sweeney, Maureen M., and Paul Zionts. "The
"Second-Skin": Perceptions of Disturbed and
Nondisturbed Early Adolescents on Clothing,
Self-Concept, and Body Image." Adolescence 24 (1989):
411-420.
Source: http://www.public.iastate.edu
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