My ex-boyfriend used to get mad at me for wearing revealing clothes. We'd get into arguments all the time, especially during the summer, when it's hot and completely appropriate to wear less.
It was a constant battle of, "It's my body. I wear what I feel like wearing." It's not my fault if other guys stare or make comments. It's not going to stop me from wearing whatever I want to wear.
And no matter how many times he'd tell me he "wasn't mad at me, but mad at the guys for staring," he'd often imply that if I wasn't wearing such revealing clothes in the first place, those guys wouldn't be staring.
To this day, it still irks me that this was even an argument in the first place. Why should I have to watch what I wear because it might attract attention from other guys?
It's fairly similar to victim-blaming. Maybe if she wasn't wearing what she was wearing, right?
Wrong.
What I — what anyone — decides to put on their body is their choice. What anyone decides to do with their body is their choice. Respect that.
I still know girls who can't wear a certain article of clothing because their boyfriend told them they can't. There are also people out there who glorify this kind of thing. "It's cute because it shows that he cares."
Since when was controlling cute? How does that show that he cares about you?
What you wear is your own decision, how someone reacts to it is theirs. Wearing a crop top and high waisted shorts doesn't make you a slut. Nor does it give men the right to treat you like a piece of meat either.
My own parents don't tell me what I can and cannot wear — and neither can you.
