“I dressed up in a sexy outfit…I became subject to leers, stares…tell me that there aren’t men out there, especially in locations frequented by college students, who act like predators.”
I avoid judging bloggers by their commenters because I think it can be very unfair and misleading. Below is a comment from Kimmy, a blog poster at www.Feministing.com. I cite it not as a negative comment about www.Feministing.com or Jessica Valenti, but instead as reflective of (some) feminist thinking.
Kimmy seems surprised that college-age men are attracted to sexy, scantily-clad women. In case anybody needed an example, I’ve generously provided one to the right. While discussing the issue of rape on college campuses, Kimmy writes:
“My boyfriend, although a fairly enlightened male, didn’t understand the worry that women often have when in public. So we did an experiment.
“I dressed up in a sexy outfit (just to exaggerate the results a bit), and we went out. At the restaurant, he stayed by my side at every moment, and there was no highly noticeable attention from the male populace there. Then we went to a fairly innocent location – a bookstore. About half the time I stayed with him, the other half I moved about on my own, but within his line of sight. Anytime I got more than three yards away from him, I became subject to leers, stares, and a couple of guys showing up on a row of books right after me a couple too many times. If I moved back next to my boyfriend, or if he came up to me and touched me, the looks and following stopped.
“Now, I would suggest a similar experiment for anyone who decries the rape crisis. Go out in public, to a party locale. Appear drunk, lightly tipsy, or even just as if you are in a really good, open-hearted sort of mood. Remain within sight and easy reach of help (friends you’ve brought with you) at all times, but do not make that connection obvious. See how the men around you act. See how that is different from what you generally experience in public.
“And then you can turn around and tell me that there aren’t men out there, especially in locations frequented by college students, who act like predators. An actual experiment of this nature into how date rape goes down would be too dangerous, but this should give a clue to all those reluctant to believe that it’s an issue.”
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