AT her blog Camera Lucida, Kidist Paulos Asrat reflects on slut walks, “sex positive feminism” and the trend of very short, itsy-bitsy skirts for women, which make it impossible to sit down without exposing oneself. She writes:

One thing I’ve noticed here is that young women are wearing extremely short skirts, and now in spring, they’re donning very short cut-out shorts, often (as though this will help) with dark tights. These skirts are dark, dreary, and ugly. At least the sixties brought color and pizazz with mini-skirt fashion.

My assessment of this depressingly ugly trend (many of the girls are over-weight, so we are forced to look at bulging body parts as well) is that it’s that schizophrenic attempt at reconciling femininity with autonomy: I will dress how I want, but I will also look like a girl. It is the “sex positive” (to use [Mark] Richardson’s coinage) compensation of reconciling femininity with autonomy. But all they end up looking like is prostitutes, which is the last thing – consciously, at least – they’re after.

                                             — Comments —

A reader writes:

Miss Asrat writes:

But all they end up looking like is prostitutes, which is the last thing – consciously, at least – they’re after. 

I don’t understand why she thinks that is the last thing they’re after, since they are deliberately dressing as sluts, and sluts have been called unpaid prostitutes.

Laura writes:

She’s not referring to the women in the slut walks, but even so women who dress in itsy-bitsy skirts seem to be consciously advertising availability. 

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