I must say the letter Women, respect yourself annoyed me so much that I had to respond to the ignorance of the writer. It is becoming apparent that Malaysian women are unfortunate scapegoats of a repressive society. We never get tired of playing 'Blame that sexy dress game'.

Unfortunately, we forget that we are talking about matters that affect our sisters, mothers and daughters. It is a woman's individual and inalienable right to dress the way she wants to. It should not be a yardstick of how people judge her. Women should feel free to express themselves the way they want to.

You have the right to disagree, but to claim that they deserve to be sexually assaulted is extreme and inhumane. Making unrelated analogies of 'protecting your home' with that of the honour of a woman is ludicrous as well.

When women are relegated to a lower social status, they are prime targets for oppression. This manifests itself in instances of violence against women.

We have to eliminate the power structures within our society that perpetuates oppression of women in any form. Telling them that their dressing is inviting the crime that is being committed against them is wrong.

In fact, we are superimposing the message that they are weak and deserved to be oppressed. This is a fallacy that must be dispelled.