Dressing too sexy?

I cringed when reading of Datuk Abu Bakar Hassan's implication that the female reporter who had her thighs videotaped by the security camera of City Hall asked for it by dressing too sexily. Though totally neanderthal and sexist, this coming from a Malaysian chauvinist isn't unheard of. After all, state leaders have issued statements in the past that people should not hire good-looking women as they are a distraction and a source of sin.

So I wrote in to share my humble view, that they're just idiots with no self control.

"These men need to learn proper self control. Or be blindfolded"

Don't you like that? Huh? Huh? (P/S: Remind me to watch my back the next time I visit Malaysia)

Well, today I was blown away further by this answer in today's papers. Probably more so that this came from a Chinese lady based in Australia doing her PhD in biochemistry. I suppose it's an eye opener for me.

"Ultimately, I believe it sometimes takes two to tango – if the woman does not tempt, the man does not get tempted.
I commiserate with most rape victims, but not those who dress provocatively. In a way, they asked for it."

Phew! While I don't claim to be an expert in this, I have read papers and studies and attended courses by people in this field; often it's more a show of power and dominance than a crime of lust. While I disagree, especially with her statement about rape victims asking for it in the way they dress I wonder what my readers have to say. Yea, sure, if you see a scantily-clad woman your imagination (and karma, naturally) does some acrobatics, but I'd like to believe Man is not as primal as that, and is able to exert some self control.

So, please leave a comment or two. And, if everyone seems to think it's ok to snap pictures of women's thighs just because they're showing too much skin, I'm going to run out and get myself a 200 mm zoom lens. And a 2Gb memory card.