Dress to impress

Dress to impress, right? Clothing is a form of expression, but often society tells women what they can and cannot wear.  Here are some points to change how society thinks of women’s dress:

Women deserve respect, no matter how they dress. How a woman dresses should not determine how she is treated. There is more to a woman’s worth than her appearance. I often find myself disappointed in the maturity levels within the college atmosphere. This is a college campus, not a middle school hallway rampant with bullies attempting to dishearten their peers. Maturity and respect should be expected at this point of life.

Women should not get raped because of how they dress, or get raped in general. What a woman wears is not an invitation for rape, assault, unwanted comments or cat calls. Clothing, garments meant to protect from the elements while expressing an individual style, does not excuse any of this inappropriate behavior.

Women dress for themselves. What a woman wears can be chosen for her own confidence. Many times, women wear outfits because they want to wear that outfit. There does not have to be a hidden motive behind an article of clothing. For example, I wear the clothing that I do because I’m proud of my body. For me and many other women, it is not about being seen as a sexual object or making others jealous.

Don’t judge someone’s appearance because you never know someone’s story. A woman’s confidence or lack of confidence in her appearance is not a subject up for debate. Women are trying to exist in this world and do not need unfair judgements on their appearance. Years ago when I was not confident in myself, I was told it showed through my appearance. After years of building up my self-confidence, I am now scolded for my confident appearance.  Everyone is fighting their own inner battle. Those who judge are just adding to the weight on a person’s shoulders.

How women dress is not correlated with sexual promiscuity. Nobody can determine a person’s sexual history with a glance. Nor should people even attempt to do so. Women are humans, not sexual objects. What they have to say and contribute to the world goes beyond the bedroom. There is a lot to people that cannot be read by eyes alone.

When it comes down to it, women have the freedom to dress how they would like to.