[AnotherUnixGeek]

If a woman dresses “provocatively” and thereby successfully provokes someone, what is her basis for complaint?

When you dress well, in a way that shows off your best physical attributes, is the reaction you intend to provoke sexual harassment or sexual assault? Would you complain if your attempt to dress in an exciting fashion resulted in such behavior from random people you had zero interest in?

I've been to Muslim countries where women cover themselves from head to toe because they might "provoke someone". I prefer Western society and the ability to appreciate the sight of a pretty woman without bothering her. All it takes is a little sense and a little decency.

[Brooklyn Attitude]

“When you dress well, in a way that shows off your best physical attributes, is the reaction you intend to provoke sexual harassment or sexual assault? Would you complain if your attempt to dress in an exciting fashion resulted in such behavior from random people you had zero interest in?”

Dress like a thug people will assume you are a thug. Dress like a slut they will assume you are a slut. There is a difference between clothes that “accentuate your best features” and those that make you look like a hooker.

[KrisKrinkle]

I prefer Western society and the ability to appreciate the sight of a pretty woman without bothering her.

Me too.

All it takes is a little sense and a little decency.

Again, "whatever that means". "Sense" and "decency" may mean different things to different people.

When you dress well, in a way that shows off your best physical attributes, is the reaction you intend to provoke sexual harassment or sexual assault?

Probably not. But how does "intent" matter? Whose intent? Does it work both ways? If "...you dress well, in a way that shows off your best physical attributes..." and the reaction is a wolf whistle, a long look interpretable as a leer, or a comment you don't like, is the reaction harassment because it was not your intent to provoke it or is it not harassment because the intent behind the reaction was complementary? What if it was your intent to provoke the reaction from someone in whom you were interested but the reaction came from someone in whom you had no interest? Can the reaction from someone in whom you had no interest be harassment but the same reaction from someone in whom you were interested not be harassment?

Would you complain if your attempt to dress in an exciting fashion resulted in such behavior from random people you had zero interest in?

Depends. But what about the random people? If "...your attempt to dress in an exciting fashion..." excited random people in whom you had no interest and they reacted in spite of your lack of interest, might not at least some of those random people feel harassed no matter what your intent was? Especially if you took offense at their reaction? Might they not feel entrapped if they reacted with neutral or complementary intent and their reaction was taken as offensive? What if they had to suppress a reaction? Might they consider it harassment to be excited when they didn't want to be?