Rouge, I agree with much that you say. And I certainly don't excuse men who can't control their sexual impulses. But I do recognise that we live in a society which has sexualised butts and boobs. Should men be able to control their impulses? Absolutely! But if they all did, there would be no sexual assaults or molestations and sadly that is not the case. And so knowing this, don't we have a responsibility to put our daughter's at least risk by ensuring they dress in a manner that doesn't suggest that they are more sexually mature than they are?

As for the pot and the kettle... I think a mature woman who understands her own sexuality and the sexualisation of the female body who chooses to dress in clothes which show her body... well, I think that is her choice. A woman in her twenties will more likely understand the sexual nature of the attention skimpy clothing may bring her and will more likely be able to recognise and deal with it. Honestly, if one of those men who ogled my niece approached her, she would have no idea how to respond. She probably (hopefully!) wouldn't recognise a sexually suggestive come on, particularly from someone older than a teenaged boy. I worry that if a man approached her somewhere public and with people around, she would feel the need to be polite to an adult and messages would become rather twisted and confused!

I know that every generation has been the same, that teenaged girls have always been eager to grow up. But as the mother of two girls and the aunt of two more, I want them to be safe and to enjoy their childhood for as long as possible (yes, like every generation of parent's before me!).

ETA Yes, fionas, I DON'T LIKE IT!!!