To think we are hugely lucky to have been born in a time and place that is somewhat equal and somewhat free for women

[Fragmentedbrain]

And that women who come after us will decreasingly enjoy this status

Seriously, I'd love to hear arguments that this will extend in time and place

The majority of the men have their shirts on.

What's the problem with bikinis? You've surely seen girls and women at the beach and by swimming pools? Men also often wear very short and tight swimming shorts, or even Speedos. It's all about the sunshine, fresh air and water. It's healthy, helps with essential vitamin D production and feels good!

Facepalm on your double standards.

Are those without dressed modestly? Should they be covered head to foot to avoid attention?

Do women have equality with this double standard at play? Men can't have it both ways. Either everyone in society should be expected to cover up, or everyone has free choice without judgement. I know which society I prefer.

I feel this intensely. I spent some time in a developing country in my 20s - things like not having to do all the domestic labour like washing clothes by hand, having to start a fire to boil water to cook food and shower, getting an education, healthcare where the doctor doesn't ask you for a sexual relationship after they examined you intimately. I can walk into a pub alone and its not seen as strange. I appreciate that I don't have to worry about these things.

I'm also deeply appreciative of freedom to pursue what I want in life, I'm not struggling to survive, I'm living a comfortable life as a single female.

I don't see any of that going backwards, if anything I see it increasing.

I think there's a major negativity bias that social media is perpetuating and making worse.

We're still such a long way from equality. Absolutely more free than many yes, but still so far to go.

You missed the point. Nobody is arguing against choice or saying anyone has to show skin. With adults, it can be said to be a choice. You can't call it a choice with kids.

So you've never seen a young man with pants hanging so low his underwear is showing? It was all the rage with young people awhile back. You've never seen a construction worker, plumber, etc. showing his crack because his tool belt is causing his pants to ride low? You don't notice the men who go running topless?

The majority of women don't show their ass cheeks either.

I have on occasion. I think we all agree that sagging is tacky. I also found whale tails in the noughties to be quite tacky.

I just walked down a main street in Croydon today.

I saw at least four women walking in front of me, wearing teeny shorts that didn't cover their full ass cheeks

Skimpily dressed clubbers and schoolgirls aren't "most women." Even if 100% of club goers and schoolgirls did that (and they don't) it would still be a minority of the female population.
Please try to be reasonable and not make wildly inflated claims.

Clothes protect us from sun and from cold. They don't protect us from anything else. I live in a very cold climate, so you bet your ass we cover up most of the year. As soon as it's warm enough people get into their shorts and tank tops because they're sick of being swaddled head to toe and want some sun. That's men as well as women. They aren't doing it to sexualize themselves.

I get the feeling that you're not talking about protection from the cold or from sun though. You're trying to say clothing choice affects how safe you are from sexual assault without actually saying it, because you know it will create an uproar. Isn't that right?

Nobody should be forced to show skin and nobody should be forced to cover up either. Agree or disagree?

Who said it was? Not the poster you're responding to, certainly.

So there must have been only 7 women on the street for the entire time you were walking to make that a majority.

The bottom line is that it isn't a majority of women, can't possibly be. The majority of women in the UK are 50+ (53%, you can check it out) and they sure as hell aren't wearing booty shorts.

Well i only walked on the street for five minutes total, as I was going from the train station to a nearby station.

Four sets of ass cheeks were too many. It feels like indecent exposure. I wouldn't like to see a man's arse cheeks on the street either

I don't look at people's asses as a general rule, though it would be hard not to notice that. Once I'd seen it I would just look away. Lots of things offend my sense of taste. I avoid looking at them for more than the second or two it takes to make the judgement that they are gross.
For example, one of the most offensive things to my taste is cheap, fake wood looking laminate or vinyl flooring, and it's everywhere, so almost impossible to avoid seeing, and it's difficult not to look at the floor when you're stuck in the waiting room at the dentist or wherever. Fortunately ass cheeks aren't that ubiquitous or as hard to avoid looking at, except perhaps at the beach when the people in your line of sight as you take in the view are wearing thongs. Yuck.

I've worn shorts and vest tops for years. It has nothing to do with flaunting my body and everything to do with being comfortable if I am working in the garden or out running on a warm day.

Shorts & top, sun cream and trainers are not designed to be alluring, it is practical sports wear.

There are exceptions, such as Russell Brand, of course.

It's summer, in London, on one of the hottest days of the year. They were probably keeping cool.

Look away, London is a big, beautiful city.with plenty of other views. I wouldn't even notice if the person in front of me was wearing skimpy shorts because I don't look.

Your comment says more about you, than them.

Genuinely I wonder what the data says about this . Is there data? Only then can I come to a logical conclusion.

This is what worries me hugely about the recent relaxation of abortion time limits, so that effectively there isn't one. As another pp said upthread, there are households in this country where women have no say about their own babies, as the senior man is in charge of everyone in the household. Put that together with the misogyny that openly has a marked preference for male children, and you have a perfect recipe for horrific forced late abortions. it makes my skin crawl to think that no one in parliament who voted this new law in, has considered the horror it is likely to unleash in communities where women are not deemed to have the right to control what happens to their own bodies. This is all under the radar where it suits everyone to keep it. Other controlling and misogynistic men are likely to pressurise women too.

I agree with the OP, things have improved compared to previous generations. However, there is still a long way to go.

For example, although the statistics below can be open to debate, they suggest that inequality exists in several key areas: safety in relationships, earning potential and caring roles:

Domestic abuse victim characteristics, England and Wales - Office for National Statistics

Gender pay gap in the UK - Office for National Statistics

International Women’s Day 2024: 10 facts about women who are unpaid carers | Carers UK

In terms of gender balance in parliament, although the situation is improving, women are still underrepresented in both the HoC and the HoL:

Gender balance in politics | Institute for Government

Finally, each generation has its own way of presenting misogyny (whether through myths, interpretations of religious texts, art or news), but social media may have taken some attitudes towards women to a much older and darker place:
Toxic tech: New polling exposes widespread online misogyny driving Gen Z away from social media