Look at how she's dressed!

Cordelia: Guys, that was really fun -- the public humiliation, running from the hotel security staff, and the nifty outfit which seemed to tell so many conventioneers "pet me, I'm a whore."

--'Dear Boy,' Angel

I've found that in having conversations about sexism and objectification with men, it's very important to have a memorized and thorough answer to "what if she's dressed revealingly?" It will come up almost every single time.

This is what I mean when I say that sexism is culturally ingrained. It doesn't usually occur to a fair amount of men that wearing a short skirt isn't a free pass to make crude remarks. Clearly, she must want to be objectified. After all, isn't the only reason she could be dressed that way that she wants male attention?

And of course, that could be one of the reasons. We do after all live in a culture that suggests that a woman's most important asset is her physical presentation. That you're nobody unless you're capable of attracting a man. And we all want to be validated in one way or another-- for some, male attention is a means to getting that validation. I get it, I've been there. But she could be dressed a certain way for any number of other reasons, including, but not limited to: a) it was hot outside, b) it makes her feel good... the options are endless. But the assumption that she therefore wants to be catcalled? Terribly sexist, and not generally recognized as such. Instead, we as a culture tend to displace responsibility-- "She asked for it. Just look at how she's dressed!"