[Excessum]

Originally Posted by mercedesjin

So why do we expect women to dress a certain way? Why do we have such harsh reactions when we think a woman is dressed inappropriately? Why are some women raped and killed, and why do others think, "She had it coming," when it happens?

Because honestly, I've been seeing men topless and in their underwear for all 20 years of my life now, and I have yet to see someone call a man a slut for it.

Primal instincts anyone? It all brakes down to that. The curves of female body are a sign of maturity and represents her sexappeal, the more one exposes them, the more others (subconsciously, or consciously... or both) assume she is showcasing herself. I thought that's a simple truth, understood by all.
And even if we don't live in stone age any more, where acting upon instincts were not met by law or defendants of human rights and instead of that our "culture" dictates how far exactly is the blurry line that we are not supposed to cross, nothing much has changed since then. Save for the fact that nowadays people have much more of a choice of just how much exactly they want to expose themselves. Complete freedom of self-expression and representation. Yet, the privilege of being able to alter the way you are seen by others, just as any other privilege, imposes responsibility. Thus one is responsible for the way it represents itself to others (again, a simple truth, which is, I expect, understood by all).
And the subject is judged, looked upon, depending on the choices it has made when selecting just how much it wants to be exposed.
This judgement as any other is, of course, subjective, influenced by the culture and ones own personal demons. And even if it does happen only on a subconscious level of the blunt mind that males are blessed with, nothing much has changed in this department since the stone age.
Now throw in envy, rivalry and all the other beautiful things that lurk beneath our culturally-correct skin, and you have yourself a forest fire.

As for the difference between the acceptable level of exposure between male and female body... I think it's also understood by all, and weather or not one chooses to question or deny it, it is, of course, up to ones own subjective mind to do so.