• IndustryStandard@lemmy.world
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    3 hours ago

    Is there? The only thing considered weird is staring at people who you are not having a conversation with. People can stare at shoes and check them out. People stare at everything other people mean to show off. Clothes exist to hide the things people do not want to show.

    So if women want to wear clothes showing off their breasts then I am quite certain they want people to look at those breasts. So then why should people suddenly not look at them?

    • markstos@lemmy.world
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      13 minutes ago

      As a man, when l run shirtless it’s not because I want to show off my chest, it’s because I’m hot and it’s practical. Depending on the temperature in and around the workplace, something with less coverage may be more comfortable.

    • BeardedGingerWonder@feddit.uk
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      38 minutes ago

      I’m curious about your shoe example. I would feel perfectly comfortable complimenting someone’s shoes and asking about them, for example:

      “I love your shoes, those stripes on the side are funky, where did you get them?” Seems like a relatively normal conversation.

      However, “I love your tits, the way your nips poke out is awesome, were you born with them?” Seems inappropriate.

      Do you not see any distinction here?

      • IndustryStandard@lemmy.world
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        6 minutes ago

        Well, yeah. Complimenting someones biceps is also a fairly normal thing to do. But not breasts One is sexual. The other is not. The more sexual the compliment gets the more inappropriate. Further reinforcing the point that breasts are sexual.

        Of course everyone knows they are sexual. Making this whole dance around the subject a bit ridiculous.

    • TriplePlaid@lemmy.zip
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      3 hours ago

      Yes, there is a difference between staring and looking, in so far as those terms are commonly used in american english:

      From Oxford Languages via Google: Stare: look fixedly or vacantly at someone or something with one’s eyes wide open Look: direct one’s gaze toward someone or something or in a specified direction So “staring” means looking fixedly or vacantly. This takes “looking” to a different place because it implies your thoughts are lingering on the thing you are staring at, which in the case of cleavage would be sexually suggestive (and therefore could make someone uncomfortable). It’s not too far off from catcalling in my opinion. It is much less sexually suggestive to stare at someone’s shoes or a cool hat, so clearly the context of staring is important as to whether it is offensive.

      Also, you seem to have missed an important part of my earlier response:

      It is also important to think about how choices over what one wears are driven by many factors, not just a desire to have people look at you. I think many women (especially younger women) have been made to feel that they must wear revealing clothing to fit in or be cool, so it isn’t really so simple as just an invitation for men to stare.

      This is why I don’t think that it is accurate to say:

      So if women want to wear clothes showing off their breasts then I am quite certain they want people to look at those breasts.