This morning I was going to either finish off my comforting and menadering blog bit about coffee which lurks in my drafts and/or write about the ‘You can talk to me” (communinucating with your child) the sexual health and relationship rescource put together by the crisipregnacy agency ().
Put with the publishing of the poll commissioned by Amnesty International yesterday about the attidudes towards rape
victums that is what has me pissed off. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4453820.stm
A third of people believe a woman is partially or completely responsible for being raped if she has behaved flirtatiously, a survey suggests.
The Amnesty International poll of 1,000 people also found over 25% believe she is at least partly to blame if she has worn revealing clothing or been drunk.
What complete and utter bollix.
Yes, thing have changed we have gone from 50 years ago when Mary wore knee length skirts, blouses and cardigans that cover the shoulders and arms to the elbows, and a head scarf to the more revealing clothes of modern fashions. Yes head scarves; I remember my Grandmother and my own mother not leaving the house with out the scarf secured under the chin and a new smear of red lipstick. Women had to cover thier heads and hair in church as it was considered a distraction; women turned away from receiving communion at the altar from priest for thier immodest clothing.
It is not that long ago from the ‘reclaim the nights’ in the 80’s and self defence classes for women, so that women if they took certain precautions could go out at night confidently with out needing a man to mind you . That a woman could be in a bar or
Two three women could be in a bar and not be pestered by men or taught to be shameless hussys and loose women.
So we have a generation of young women who have been told life is your oyster who are 20 to 25 who don’t see why they can’t wear what they want or as little as they want and go out for an evening just like the girls in sex and the city and have a fun evening.
They are not aware of the past and of the long slog that society and feminism have had so that they can enjoy their freedoms.
Personally I don’t or would not go tottering around Dublin city centre in 4 inch heels and a micro mini and a tit top for several reasons I would not be comfortable for one and that has more to do with me then my mammyish figure, I don’t consider such clothes practical and esp with the current weather I’d rather not freeze my assets off and I prefer to be able to defend myself while out and you can’t kick someone’s ass or run away efficiently or chase after some one efficiently while wearing such an outfit.
But if these are not the concerns of the current generations of 20 to 25 year old bright young things and they are comfortable wearing such things then they have every right to.
It is not wise to pass out drunk some where naked but that does not lessen someone’s right not to be raped or assaulted or lessen the culpability of the person committing such volition of a person.
Nakedness or revealing clothing does not mean you are sexually available to anyone and to state that such ways of dressing induces men to rape is a horrible condemnation of men. If a scantily clad young women is seen on a night out by a thousand men it is still wrong to assume that even one of them would actively seek her out and either ply her with drink or drugs to rape her or violently assault her. Men who do such things and who are serial rapists don’t need a scantily clad young female as an excuse.
They are less then 1 in a 1000 but women should dress modestly or in the likes of burkas for the fear of such men? Female sexuality is still seen as a double edged sword by western society no matter how modern or advanced it seems to be.
