Reply #16: Provocative? Take a behavioral cue from a nude beach.

[Xithras]

People who read my posts with any regularity know that I'm a bit of a naturist. Mostly around my (rural) home and property, but we occasionally visit nude beaches and that sort of thing as well.

People on nude beaches are naked. That's about as attractive and provocative as it gets. Despite that, do you KNOW what happens if you walk onto a nude beach and start ogling everyone, making sexual comments, and touching others inappropriately? At the least, you'll get thrown out (often with a bit of arm twisting and unnecessary roughness). Touch someone and you're going to jail. There's pretty much zero tolerance for that sort of thing in the places I visit.

And do you know why? Because GROWNUPS SHOULD KNOW HOW TO BEHAVE IN PUBLIC AND CONTROL THEIR OWN GODDAMN LIBIDO!!! If you can't walk out of your house without seeing everyone else in the world as a sexual object and your personal plaything, then please stay in your house until you learn a little self control. The clothing a woman wears makes NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL, whether we're talking about a burkha, a low cut mini, or absolutely nothing. There is nothing at all wrong with appreciating beauty when you see it, but the MOMENT that your appreciation crosses the line into lewd behavior and commentary, you've failed at the whole "act like an adult" thing.

The first rule of naturism is that "Nudity is not an invitation." If that's true for naturists, it's doubly true for people who are simply wearing clothing that you find attractive.