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May 2, 2008 1:00 PM   Subscribe

Why do girls wear sexy clothes? [NSFW, maybe sexist in its ignorance]

I guess what I'm looking for here aren't concrete answers---just answers that might include a zillion different reasons.

I live in a college town. It's not difficult to drive around and get an eye full, which is sometimes nice and sometimes not so nice. Yesterday we had a lady in our store, probably close to 50 years old and 40lbs overweight with terrycloth short-shorts on that left about the bottom 4 inches of her bottom exposed. They were see-through, with bright orange butt-cupping panties visible through them. I don't know the cut---but it was intentional. NOT sexy, but obviously her man thought they were. So, I'm guessing she wore them for him because they wanted to watch people look at her?

I'm kind of in that camp. I enjoy when I'm out with my GF and people check her out. Of course, I'm not jealous and don't think I ever will be. I've had friends freak out on their girlfriends when they wear their whale-tails exposed. (Their thongs stick out. My gf doesn't do this...on purpose.)

Are we supposed to look? Are we not? I think that girls dress up more for other girls than for guys, as most of us really don't care.

Really, educate me. I guess it's up in the air what "Sexy" is, because I think a cute girl rocking a pony tail and a sweatsuit can totally be sexy, it doesn't require hip huggers and an open-back shirt. In this case, I guess "Sexy" means "revealing."

Please don't snark at me, I certainly don't have a *problem* with it. I *really* don't. I just wonder *why*. I'm not saying anything like "I can't take them as professionals when their ass cheeks are showing", because I can. (I think?) I'm just wondering at the rationale.

Also, I will admit that the nuances of fashion are lost on me. I buy my clothes at Goodwill, out of choice not necessity. I can't fathom why we pay so much more for these things than the aggregate cost of making them. That's a discussion for another time though.

And yea, I totally wasted my question here hoping for a wicked vicious conversation about it.
posted by TomMelee to Society & Culture (12 answers total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: Yeah, no. -- cortex

 
And yea, I totally wasted my question here hoping for a wicked vicious conversation about it.

NOT WHAT ASK IS FOR.
posted by piratebowling at 1:09 PM on May 2, 2008 [3 favorites]


Just a guess, but... because they think it makes them look nice, and they like to look nice? A lot of people feel good when they think they look nice (not you, I guess).
posted by joelhunt at 1:10 PM on May 2, 2008


In the event that this isn't deleted:

but it was intentional. NOT sexy, but obviously her man thought they were

Then they were in fact sexy. Just not to you.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 1:10 PM on May 2, 2008


There are probably as many answers to this question as there are women dressing sexily. Some do it to impress guys, some do it to impress other women, others do it to make their man feel good, and yet others do it to feel good about themselves. Add about a million variations of these reasons(and don't forget marketing and mass media's impact!) and you might have a decent starter list.
posted by owtytrof at 1:10 PM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite]


Newsflash: Not every clothing decision by a woman is for the benefit of men. Sometimes women wear sexy clothes just to feel good.
posted by peacheater at 1:13 PM on May 2, 2008


Women expose skin because they want men to be attracted to them. It's that simple. It's biology, it's genetics, it's everything. Skin is a sign of a willingness to reproduce.
posted by markovich at 1:13 PM on May 2, 2008


NOT sexy, but obviously her man thought they were.

Or maybe SHE wanted people to look at her. Maybe she thought she looked good. Maybe she did look good.
posted by Pax at 1:14 PM on May 2, 2008


joelhunt: "Just a guess, but... because they think it makes them look nice, and they like to look nice? A lot of people feel good when they think they look nice (not you, I guess)."


Yep, and not just for women.

I'm a man, and I enjoy looking good, I feel better when I look good, and it feels awesome to catch someone checking me out or even just smile when I pass them.
posted by Science! at 1:16 PM on May 2, 2008




I think that girls dress up more for other girls than for guys, as most of us really don't care. Ha! I certainly care, as does every guy I know. Fashion is not the "end all be all" of what we look for in a girl, but it's there.
posted by Science! at 1:18 PM on May 2, 2008


There are going to be 5 answers here:

1. Chatfilter
2. You're a jerk for judging the woman in your example because of X
3. Women aren't dressing up so you can look at them
4. I liek hot chicks in skimpy clothes, amirite?
5. Girls dress up for other girls!

Then there will be a few well reasoned answers, but the thread is getting deleted anyway, so it doesn't matter.
posted by electroboy at 1:21 PM on May 2, 2008


Second paragraph below the cut...BLLUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRGGGGGH
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 1:22 PM on May 2, 2008


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