Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for September 28, 2012

Uh-Oh – Looks like it’s gonna be more about Tiffany & Les, not Tiffany & Ox. Hopefully Ox will pick up on this and stay out of the mess. Can’t wait to see Tiffany & Les BOTH get what they deserve – somehow.

Nun dress is too sexy, better get a Burka, Tiff

Sister Tiffany? naaaahhh…

Wouldn’t want you to get in THAT habit…

Did an older man who writes a strip with a teenage girl protagonist really just write that?

Ohhhhh YESSS….!!!!!

Well my grandmother would say “Don’t put on display what you aren’t offering for sale”. Useful, yes?

Actually it isn’t about who is scantily clad, and way to blame the victim. A woman is a human being, not an object to be stolen and pawned. Shame on you!

Women (and men) of all ages, body types, races, and clothing choices get raped. One in three women are sexually assaulted by the time they are 18.

I was seven years old and wearing pink fuzzy pants and a shirt. I guess I was somehow an easier target, displaying the “merchandise?” NO.

There is no excuse, no justification, no way of shrugging it off as “she was asking for it because she dressed that way/walked down the wrong street/was too outspoken/made waves.”

I hope you never have to learn the reality of sexual assault.

No always means no…no matter what you’re wearing!

Oh, I forgot…Tiff, get some pepper spray.

Was my computer a target for sitting innocently on the front seat of my car, despite the doors being locked? Somebody thought so. Wisdom and NOT tempting fate has served me better then repeating mistakes.

There’s Crystal with her sniping again. Did Rosa wear revealing clothes when Leslie Knox harassed her? Tiff would be beautiful in a burlap sack. Grow up Crystal.

tiff can take care of herself!

I’m a straight, intelligent woman in a relationship. I like to dress pretty, and at other times dress comfy. Crystal’s right. At some point, a woman has to take responsibility for the message she’s sending with her clothes. I once asked my boyfriend’s opinion on a woman dressing slutty, just for slutty’s sake. He said men never take ‘those women’ home to meet their mom.

I’ve met his mom. ;)

Both sides have a valid point!!! How a women dresses is NEVER an excuse for a rapist. Period. But, out of self respect, Tiff could be dressing better. Wearing a burka or a bikini won’t make a difference to a rapist, but, some people, like Les, are just plain pigs. And they WILL harass girls who are dressing like they want attention of the visual kind, because Tiffany does. It does NOT justify his actions, but I think this more falls under the category of be careful what you wish for. Again, it’s also about respect. I’m a girl, and I like to dress up nice, but I don’t have to dress provocatively. Do I have the right to do so? Yes, but I can’t expect the whole world to treat me like I’m not an object if I choose to dress like one and treat myself as one. For all the ladies that this hit a sore spot for, think of all those guys who like to wear their pants down to their ankles and show off their boxers. I’m sure your first thought isn’t “What a distinguished young man. He must be a very creative and original thinker, a unique and special individual that is really going places in life. He must have a PHD.” That could all be well and true of the guy, but odds are, you just want them to wear a belt.

On another note though, kind of bummed. I was hoping to see more of OX, he’s an interesting character that could use some development. And what happened to the bathroom stalls in the third panel??? (Just kidding! It’s not like I can draw backgrounds… or comics)

Whew! THAT was CLOSE!

Looks like Ox got away with a simple “Thank You” from Tiffany.

MUCH Better than REALLY getting to Know Her and Eventually having His heart RIPPED Out!

On the OTHER hand, THIS Story-line is young….,

I simply cannot believe how insufferably moralizing many commentors are tonight.

I guess if you conclude smugly that other women are trashy and asking for it that your habits of dress have made you safer and you will not be one of the 1 in 4 women who are sexually assaulted in their lifetime.

I live in the center of a city, on a mixed residential and business street. I like to dress casually and comfortably most of the time. Men shout out compliments, try to approach me, try to hug me, as I pass by in my baggy hoodie and oversize cargo pants. It really hasn’t ever mattered what I’m wearing, I can tell you that.

It is anti-feminist and utterly sickening that the focus is on slut-shaming here.

I’m never one to say this, but for God’s sake: kids read this strip. If we are going to moralize, Crystal should be talking about going to the principal or about The Gift of Fear and how Tiffany can learn more effectively to stand up for herself.

Women, how can you avoid being assaulted? First hint: it’s nothing to do with what you wear, and a lot more about not being afraid of being strong and aggressive about repelling unwanted advances.

One more thing: Tiffany was not taking a powerful position, but it was clear she was rejecting him. A man who continues his sexual pursuit in the face of that is enjoying the power he has over her, enjoying her fear. There’s so much more to that than an automatic arousal response. You are not going to overcome it by dressing more conservatively, or even putting all women in burkas.

No, you aren’t…but the commentator who said ‘buy pepper spray’ had the right of it. Be prepared for anything.

Mr. Hoffman, what does “Tiff deserved it all the way” mean?

And, to Mr. Evans, when you wrote this bizarre strip did you have any idea what ickiness would crawl out of the woodwork in response?

Tiff may have to fend off “the fly” again; I hope she’s up to it, since Ox seems to have gone….

I REALLY don’t want to comment…..but a “rapist” WILL NOT rape the " hot scantily clad girl" It has nothing to do with lust or attraction and everything to do with control……they rape elderly, handicap, coma patients, children, etc.

Seriously? I’d love to see one of you people telling a rape/sexual assault victim that you deeply care about, a good friend, sister/daughter/wife/girlfriend, and tell them it was their fault for “showing the wares”. Except not, because we all know that’s a douche move.

Which part of “rape/assault is about power” don’t you people understand? Will someone who wear little attract attention, wanted or otherwise? Of course. Is she saying “sex me!”? NO! Similarly, will a decent guy do anything inappropriate do anything to a woman dressed scantily? If any of you answered yes, bad news, you’re not a decent human being.

Again, assault is about power. Power has nothing to do with sexual attraction. 85% of sexual assualt cases are done by people known to the victim, a friend/husband/boyfriend/uncle/authority figure. Those who wield undeserved power will target the vulnerable. You tell me who’s more vulnerable and will likely be raped: drunk girl or sober girl? girl walking down empty street alone, or girl walking down busy street?If a conservative girl was drunk, or walking down an empty street, and there happens to be a rapist present, do you really think a rapist will say “oh, well, she isn’t displaying her body, I’ll just have to find someone who obviously wants it.” ?!

If you’re gonna use the laptop in car analogy, assaulting a woman isn’t just breaking into your car and taking the laptop… that’s equivalent of breaking into my personal space and slapping my butt, and you will get a well-deserved slap for it. Sexual assualt/rape is really more like ambushing you while you’re getting your car, and pointing a gun to your head to MAKE you give the guy a ride and give him the laptop for souvenir.

Sounds like Crystal’s saying that once Tiffany (or anyone else) exudes sexual energy, her doing so is tantamount to her announcing to ALL guys that she is open to being with EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM.

The old Madonna Whore thing.

Either not sexual, or indiscriminately sexual with everyone.

More over, comparing a womans body with a computer? REALLY?

a) computer has monetary value. What will a man gain from sexually assaulting a woman? Sexual satisfaction? Do you really hate the male half of our species so much that you think they are all ruled by their lower half?b) a computer? An inanimate object with no will? THAT’S what you’re comparing a woman with? Do we have no will? Do we have no say? Do we not get to express our desires if we don’t behave in a way that is “proper”?c) the “dressing slutty gets you whate you deserve” defense has a problem. What about men? When men get assaulted, what do we blame them for? Dressing too “slutty”? Were THEY asking for it? I honestly don’t know, so if someone can enlighten me, please, do so.d) it’s about respect. If anyone says no to anything, you’re suppose to respect their wishes. Your belongings got stolen because that person didn’t respect the law, or your right as owner of the property. When anyone keeps pushing their luck despite the other person’s wishes, it’s because they don’t respect that person. In this case, he doesn’t respect her desires or her wishes. Doesn’t respect her as a person with a will of her own that differs from his. Doesn’t respect her as a person, period. More importantly, he doesn’t respect her RIGHT to deny him, her RIGHT to personal space, her RIGHT to be left alone.

In other words, he doesn’t respect her RIGHTS.Everyone deserves to have their rights.No one deserves to have their rights infringed on.Anyone who infringes on another person’s rights is not a decent human being.

NO, it has nothing to do with how the woman is dressed. Rape is an act of violence and domination and humiliation! It has NOTHING to do with how the woman is dressed or looks. No one is “asking for it” by how they dress. NO ONE is deserving of being attacked. Period.

Dress that way Tiff and LESLIE may get the hint – you’ll have NUN of THAT !.And GoldenRoya said, about 4 hours ago; “You may not be a slut but you’re sure wearing the uniform…” – is there a UNIFORM for “jerk”, for LESLIE ??? .(Greg – ?)

You’re a simple cretin. Not the victim’s fault and nice to see how you pre-judge people and treat them like a stereotype.

I had kids come into class in chains and leather, streaked hair, body piercings and tats and then go… “What are you looking at?!”

Unfortunately, to the predators women are not human beings. Only to the decent guys who will respect a woman’s space. We should turn the molesters into eunuchs. That way they won’t be inclined again and can live freely without ever again being a threat.

Love it when women dress scantily and get mad if you get caught looking.

Sorry, but, no; actual real life statistics say that clothing makes no difference at all.

maybe this will get like Archie. you know, Moose and Midge…..duh,,,,

I can’t believe that I have to “defend” Les puke…………… but we have been shown that he is a pester, and tries to “seduce females”………. but we have never been shown(so far anyway) that he would go as far as forcing a woman to have sex with him, only that “potentially” he might be worse than way Dirk used to be with Toni

The last I checked, the word “No” still meant “No” and it doesn’t matter one whit if a girl is dressed in a mini skirt or a caftan. Victim blaming is not cool, people. I don’t like Tiff much, but she is NOT the one at fault here.

Bull to so much of this.

Sure, guys stare more at scantily-dressed women. Sexual assault statistics and surveys do not support any correlation with clothing, however. And while yes, women can sexually assault guys (and it is equally disgusting and wrong behaviour) if you think that it is more damaging, even on the level of reputation, you are dreaming. Speaking from the female side of things, remembering what high school was like, and what was done to the reputations of girls who were sexually assaulted (whether or not they tried to report it), and what you see in the papers even now with high-profile rape and/or sexual assault cases, once again the evidence says “not so.”

Too much black and white, not enough gray. Both hypotheses obtain depending on the offender. Scantily clad women attract attention to themselves, as they are, in a sense, “advertising” their bodies to anyone in the vicinity. It is their right, of course, but they should be aware of human (particularly male) nature and instinct. Women get “eye-raped” all the time, every day. Scantily clad women simply make themselves an easier target.

This is truth.

@Ev and any other victims.. I am truly sorry for your experience.

I do not however think it is ‘blaming the victim’ to suggest that a girl might be welcoming flirting from the opposite sex if she is dressed like Tiff tends to dress.

As some have pointed out Les didn’t get the blunt ‘no’ but he also did not lay a hand on her nor does the strip suggest he would.

I think the message here is that you invite flies when you look and smell like honey..not that flies aren’t often more attracted to garbage or dead things more!

Meanwhile, back in the international mails somewhere…there was this letter bound for Australia…………

am I the only one who knows that this is a comic strip?I guess everyone else is coming here for life lessons?

The way a woman dresses should NEVER be considered a tacit yes. This panel demonstrates the kind of crap that goes on in courtrooms during rape trials.

She said “NO” – if she was parading around in her bikini, it’s still a “NO.”

Can I print the cartoon and use an eraser or not?

Bad information! Rapists generally rape those they perceive to be the most vulnerable, not the hottest.

Ev is absolutely right. Crystal’s line in that last panel is vile. Please use the rest of this storyline to have other characters correct her and have her wise up. Women are not responsible for men assaulting them. Men have the responsibility to control themselves and not be criminal scum.

It’s not nice to refuse to pay any attention to “no, go away”, either.

Please read the rest of the comments here. And perhaps spend less time policing girls’ clothing, more time telling male creepers to back the f*** off because it’s not acceptable.

In my daughters middle school, if your navel shows, your sent home to change.

Look at the expression on Tiff’s face as she is talking about Ox. It’s not so much about the scaring off of Les as admiration of her large protector.

No one should ever be accused of “asking to be raped” but we also need to be responsible for the message we send. Crystal merely pointed out that her clothes don’t exactly say, Leave me alone. They say, Look at me!!

Wow. You people are garbage. You think that a predator is going to be more likely to go after someone who is dressed more sexually by YOUR standards of sexual. You’re actually going to put a shred of blame on a woman- and a teen at that. “Treated like a slut” “don’t display what isn’t for sale” are all disgusting little slogans that justify atrocious behavior. How about “don’t f*ing touch someone who says no, ever?” So if your daughter or sister or wife was dressed in a way that some pervert decided was sexy and raped her, you’d be throwing those lines at her? She has it coming? Do you know what a rape IS? Its not about sex- its about control and violence and opportunity. Dressing like Tiffany may be tasteless to most of us, but it in no way makes its forgivable for rape. If you actually think this, you’re also saying that if women were all wearing burquas, there’d be waaay less rape. And thats seriously what you all and Greg Evans are saying- that simply by dressing a certain way, we can kinda see why a f*ed up violent rapist would assault a girl. Is that the side you want to be on? I was only wearing a shirt and jeans when I was assaulted…too bad there weren’t any scantily clad girls like TIffany around to take it for me…??? Walking, talking diarreha humans is what you all are.

The Sisters of the Whoopee Midriff? In a few years, they’ll have to assign a full time thumper just to hear her confessions. (Because of all her habits.)

This may not be about rape. Some guys just think they are God’s gift to women, and thinks Tiff is just playing hard to get. Doesn’t always mean rape. Just pretty annoying. Though, Greg has been showing real-life issues as the kids grow up…

“Just a comic”? Greg has set himself up for real-world criticism with his previous attempts at “serious” exploration of issues. Even if he hadn’t, Crystal’s asinine commentary is begging for it. (See what I did there?)

Blaming the victim is whistling past the graveyard and pretending it’ll never happen to someone you love, because they just did something wrong that was asking for bad things to happen.

Oh, and writing “this is true” after your own comment does not actually enhance its truth value.

I absolutely agree. I really don’t like the turn this strip is taking, right from the first one where Les was harrassing her.

Please, please tell me the author is not suggesting that someone deserves to be sexually harassed (or worse) because of they way they are dressed. Please tell me he is not that awful of a person.

Now that the subject has come up, Crystal does tend to dress conservatively— in terms of what she reveals, if not style or color. Has to make you wonder what’s in her past.

rape isn’t about sex, it’s about violence and control This is why 90 year old ladies in nursing homes are attacked and raped. Rape occurs along all socioeconomic lines, ages, and genders; men can be raped too.

I rarely have much sympathy for Tiffany, but Crystal’s comment smacks of the attitude of, “Hey, she asked for it. She wore a tight sweater.”

I don’t dispute that Tiffany dresses that way to attract attention from men, but that doesn’t mean she gave up her right to rebuff guys that don’t interest her. Les is a creep yes, but Tiff’s wardrobe does not exonerate his creepiness.

“I took the advice to heart, and no computers of mine have been stolen since. Life lesson.”Sorry your lesson was so costly. This called to mind what happened to the daughter of one of our friends. She had left her computer in her car with her finished DOCTORAL DISSERTATION on it! There were no copies. It took her several months to despair, then she did a rewrite. As for me, I took a weekend trip and brought along fourteen client files from a new office I’d been transferred to, so that I could review them. The car was stolen while we were having dinner. Got back the car, not the files.

I wallowed in despair for quite awhile, then told myself, “You’ll never win the ‘what if’ game. Deal with it!” I did – it took several months to make home visits, contact our vendor facilities, and otherwise re-create the files. Learned a couple of life lessons

Here we go. Blame the woman for the way she dresses. Oh, no, it couldn’t possibly be that some sleazeball men would take advantage of a woman no matter what she wore. If it were the clothes that invite the assault, then how do we explain the grannies in their orthopedic shoes that get assaulted? Rape is about power and assault, not sex.

Uh, “rape”? When did the strip actually mention that?The theme is that the strip’s Chronic Attention Seeker now has to deal with unwanted attention.

Perhaps we should move the reactions back down the Richter scale for the moment and see what Chrystal’s advice actually is, rather than assume that Tiff (who has been mistaken, and often) is correct in thinking that it is just all about wardrobe. After all, that was meant to be a punch line, wasn’t it?

Is it just me, or does Les appear to have been drawn by Garry Trudeau?

What kind of school is this? No dress code?

Just quit dressing like Madonna.

I’ve also been sexually harrassed – at work by a supervisor, a coworker (in front of another supervisor), a medical consultant, a truck driver on the Howard Franklin Bridge, at school by a teacher and another student, at a church (by a minister shaking hands with departing members). I wasn’t asking for it or wearing anything revealing. In a couple of cases I was in my late 50’s or early 60’s, Didn’t make no never mind. I’m also not all that gorgeous. (Though the attention has, mercifully, fallen off to zero in recent years!)

Woops – just remembered. There’s this guy in a social group I’m in . . .

So much ignorance and in these comments.

Those who are saying dress modestly or risk sexual assault are NOT the ignorant.

The poster who compared the theft of his easily accessible computer to provacative dress leading to sexual assault is not the ignorant one.

It is not a matter of dress like a tart and expect to be sexually assaulted because it is your fault for offering by your choice of dress. It is, rather, a matter of dress appropriately, given the circumstances.

Take for example, the case of the laptop computer left on the front seat of a locked car. A thief looking for easily accessible electronics sees the laptop, breaks the window and takes it. Not because the laptop was easily accessible, but because he was a thief, albeit one who saw an easy target.

The woman who dresses in a manner that draws attention to her body is like the laptop left on display. She may present an easy target. That does not make it her fault, by any means. Many a man would walk on by, few without looking, some with a glance, some with a look, some with a comment, some with a rude comment, very few with a grab, and very, very few with an outright assault.

For those few deviants who will assault a woman (of whatever age, in whatever clothing, in whatever location), a woman alone must take precautions as no one ever knows who, where or when a rapist may be.

Just don’t present an easy target …. however, like the laptop, appearing like an easy target does NOT, in any way, grant permission. Dressing provactively, however, does provoke.

Provocative: Adjective. 1. Causing provocation, esp. deliberately: “a provacative article”2. Arousing sexual desire or interest, esp. deliberately.3. Leaving a laptop on display in the front seat of your car where any passing thief might see it.

Use caution, especially if you are alone. Dress, attitude, body language, etc. are all things that play into the determination of who is an “easy target”. Attitude and body language may be more important, but dress draws the eye first.

Sadly there are people who will take advantage of easy targets. Make yourself a hard target.

Here are two issues:

One, when you suggest that the onus is on the woman to dress in such a way as to defuse male desire, you’re removing the onus on men to behave like reasonable, civilized people. It’s not their responsibility they sexually harassed or assaulted. It’s hers for dressing that way! He can’t control it!

Two, when you suggest in this situation that it’s more reasonable to address how a girl dresses, rather than how a boy responds, you’ve already lost something fundamental. Now your little girl who gets sexually assaulted has to first address whether the burlap sack dress she was wearing got the guy hot and that’s why it happened. It’s victim blaming. There is no other description for it. You can’t claim that it isn’t. You can only claim that victim blaming is justified in this case.

And that’s wrong.

Can’t believe the ridiculous comments on here. Women shouldn’t have to walk with someone just to not get raped. Men walk around shirtless all the time, when they go running or when they just get too damn hot. If you think women are to blame because of how they dress or even that they should take more precaution then you’re obviously not a respectable person. I shouldn’t have to be any more cautious than any man. Aside from that though, I don’t think Crystal’s comment was to blame Tiff, I think it was more to instigate like she always does I mean Rose didn’t dress like Tiff and she kept getting harassed. Besides, I think Evans just wants to bring light to the issue, not point blames on victims. The weeks not over yet!

HEY MEN WHO THINK THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH BLAMING THE VICTIM:

You’re at the beach or the park, your shirtless. I come up and pinch your exposed nipples so hard they bleed.

Now, of course I did a terrible thing – no one would argue that!

…but weren’t YOU, in some small way, sort of ASKING for it, by exposing yourself so provocatively? After all, I didn’t assault the nipples of your friend, who was wearing a shirt.

Do you truly feel you deserve to shoulder some of the blame for my attacking you, or do you believe this situation is 100% the fault of the crazy attacker?

Dress is a form of communication, just like speech. Arguably, it is your most powerful form of communication. What you wear says “This is who I am! This is what I am like!” You cannot continually broadcast one message and expect people to ignore it. Neither should you be surprised if people act on the message you are sending. “Dress shabbily, they notice the dress. Dress impeccably, they notice the woman.” — Coco Chanel

Except that is not actually what rapists do. You’d think it would be; common sense based on the way non-rapists think says it would be… but it’s not. Evidence collected over decades consistently shows there is absolutely NO greater statistical likelihood that a scantily-clad sexy girl will be raped than that a granny wearing a granny gown will be raped. Or any other possible permutation you can think of. Rapists choose based on opportunity and perceived vulnerability, not on “sexiness,” because they are not interested in sex the way we think of it, they’re interested in power and domination. Sex is just a tool to achieve it.

I’m surprised Evans would be pulling that card, what an f-ing tool! It doesn’t matter what she’s wearing, she isn’t responsible for other people’s behavior and we shouldn’t even be alluding to it.

Dress like a tart and you will be attractive only to guys who like tarts. I am reminded of a woman who spent a lot of time hanging out in bars to meet men, then complained that all of her boyfriends were drunks.

Actually, I really like Tiff’s attitude in this regard… and can’t believe that she’s being slut-shamed. Personally, I’m really hoping for Tiff/Ox shippage. Sure, he’s a lunk, but he’s a kinda lunk. Maybe he’ll rub off on her.

True the act itself is comminted by the person who does the act when they make the decision to do said act.

But the answer to the “question” of this story is still yes.

People, we are talking about two different issues: rape/molestation vs. girls who are ‘easy.’ Rape is about power (as some have already stated)..I dated a non-American once and he said that ALL American girls were easy, therefore, he spent money taking me out and he expected sex..IMO, if a girl dresses like a slut/Ho, then she advertises that she can be easy. Mode of dress, speech, mannerisms reflect who we are. When you dress for attention, you get attention, whether from those you want or not.

personally, I support a woman’s right to wear what ever she wants wherever she wants. That said, consider this.

Your clothes are a form of self expression and of communication. They tell the world who you are and how you expect it to treat you. That is why lawyers and doctors and executives wear suits. It says I am a serious person and should be treated seriously.

The problem with this particular form of self expression is that it is a broadcast type of medium. The communicator has no ability to select her audience so sometimes her message is received by an unwelcome audience.That is what happened here. Tiffany broadcast flirty, sensual person inviting sexual attention and an unintended audience member (creep) received that message and acted on it.

This is the message that needs to be sent to all people, consider your audience when deciding on what you wear. What is perfectly appropriate in one situation may be completely inappropriate in another. If you dress like you are attracted to your audience you probably shouldn’t complain when the audience accepts your invitation. If Tiffany dressed like that on a date, ie to a narrower audience, she would not have been as likely to get unwanted attention.

Just to clarify, I am the father of a vicious sexual assault victim. There is no justification for sexual assault. That is not what this or my earlier comment are about or intend to do.

Its sad how many women don’t get that you don’t have to dress like a hooker.

Victim blaming; stay classy man.

Angry feminist feels angry now. So angry! I’m going to go have some tea or something and pretend I never read these comments. Hope nobody sees me drinking tea and decides to forcibly pour coffee down my throat because they can tell I like beverages!

I was really upset by today’s strip. Other commenters have articulated its deeply flawed, wrong take on sexual harassment and rape culture. I just want to add my voice in their support and say that this isn’t the kind of message I want to see in a comic strip for young women.

It won’t matter what Tiffany or Rosa or any girl wears.Leslie will hit on anyone he wants until someone hits him back.

For most sex offenders…it’s not about the act…or what the person looks like…it’s about POWER…theirs over yours. Worked with too many of ’em while working in prisons….

Guys – Rape/sexual assault IS about power/domination….not about how the victim dressed….however, with high school boys….Tiffany dressed in a manner that says she was “an easy lay.” That was what Crystal was saying. Girls DO dress to attract and Tiffany IS dressed to attract male attention – we all know that. Les was not necessarily a sexual predator….just looking for an easy lay. He apparently not yet learned that easy-looking girls can be picky about whose attention they attracted and thought all easy girls were “coy” thus why he ignored the “go away” messages AND Tiffany is now learning that her choices in clothes DOES attract attentions of the undesirable males.

I am a teacher – I see the guys fully covered up and the girls half naked. Why? The guys know the don’t need to dress to attract – girls go for personality. Guys are visual creatures and go for appearances and the more skin, the better. That is the message girls get from the guys.

Parents need to teach their daughters to be more moderate about their clothing – they don’t want to attract guys like Leslie and have problems with those.

It will never matter what the girl wears, says or even thinks…Guys like Leslie need to hit on girls to feel like a man. Taking “NO” for an answer means losing the score, therefore being less of a man.And Leslie will keep on hitting on the girls until someone actually hits him back.

I’m not entirely sure that Crystal’s comment is just about what Tiffany wears. I think Tiffany loves saying NO!!!! to guys who say YES!!! The game is still on with Les. Two no-soul mates. There’s something right about it.

Oh, by the way, for all the “He’s just flirting/she dresses to attract it” comments:

Why sure, “just flirting.” No evidence that he would take it further. And, I mean, Rosa was just totally dressed hot and slutty and asking for it, too. It’s not like Les has shown any evidence of being a predator and a bully.

But there is a culture which focuses so exclusively on the behavior of the victim, that they completely ignore the patterns of behavior of the perpetrator. I’m sure no-one here does that, right? Right??

Les with Crystal??? I think Crystal actually has a soul – as do most of Evans’ characters – even Dirk. Tiffany just likes the power trip of attracting and then rejecting guys. Tiffany & Les will light up another spark or two until it’s obvious they’re both b…s….

I don’t think that’s necessarily true at all. I know of two women in my circle of friends who were the vicitims of sexual assault, and one was wearing a waitress uniform that went down to her knees, and the other was wearing a baggy sweatshirt and jeans when it happened. I don’t think rapists really need the enticement of provacative clothing. In fact, from what I’ve read, some rapists pick victims in dowdy clothing because, at leat until recently, they are less likely to be believed; after all, WHO would want to rape someone wearing curlers and a housecoat? Rape isn’t necessarily about “sexual attractiveness”; it’s often about power and domination.

Most here are right, because no means no, but tiff is a flirt and she flirts with danger all the time, hey will t.j. Get the manager back for the screw job she gave him?

We’ve gone way off the cliff on this one. Crystal’s remark was not about provocative clothes encouraging rape, and the discussion about the causes and prevention of rape, while necessary and good, is simply not the point..The comment was about exposing body parts to the air, and then getting resentful at boys staring and drooling like the immature clowns they are. Ladies…boys who would die and go to hell before they would even think of rape will nonetheless stare and drool at anything they can see that they wouldn’t see usually. That doesn’t make them potential rapists, or even particularly evil; it’s just how guys are wired — we’re not particularly proud of it, but there it is. This is not rocket science: if you don’t want it stared at and fixated on, don’t expose it to the air..This doesn’t mean wearing a burqa, or even a nun’s habit. (A lot of nuns don’t even wear those; they dress in “civvies”.) All that Crystal needed to say in response would have been, “Look at me. Am I a nun?” Enough said.

A great many implicit and explicit misogynists regard women as largely interchangeable objects. Reading the “advice” of Pick-Up Artists (as they even term themselves) is illuminating, if vile.

You, as the reader of a comic strip, can infer that Evans will not take this story to a conclusion of rape, of anyone.

However, in the story, the characters do not break the fourth wall. They have no awareness of themselves as “characters in a comic strip.” They are simplified illustrations of real life, but people in real life can only make decisions about the likely outcome of any given situation from the evidence available to them, not some meta-information about a story arc and an author’s tendencies.

We could infer that Gunther would find some way to avoid being beaten to a pulp by Les – we just didn’t know how. Gunther certainly didn’t know any such thing, hence the fearfulness that Evans portrayed in the comic. We can infer that Tiffany is not going to be raped; Tiffany had only the information that she yelled at the creep to go away and leave her alone, and not only didn’t he, he had her pinned against the wall.

The comic is touching on issues of real life. We respond to this because we recognize it. Many of us can relate to it. We can see ourselves in that position, may have experienced something similar. So we have discussions about what the real life issues here really are.

Get it?

Asking for it is an old arguement, and no, she isn’t “asking for it”, but the way the girls dress these days it’s teasing. The way they dress says Look At me and objectify me, then when men do look, they are called stalkers and sexist.

I suppose all those women in their 80s and those babies under age 1 were dressed scantily too — and certainly asking for it. We know Tiffany is a bit sleazy, but she isn’t “asking” for rape.

I don’t think you do, honestly. I mean, if Evans doesn’t want to touch on this issue, he obviously doesn’t have to address it. He could make this strip as innocuous as Archie, if he so feels. But he doesn’t. He consciously decides to include this message, jammed in unsubtly into this situation. If you decide that he’s not serious based on his “rules”, that he’s “always” going to follow, he’s failed as a writer. The drama he’s attempting to convey here is fatally undercut by those same “rules”.

So, indeed, why bother? Who cares about what Tiffany’s wearing and what kind of message that sends?

Both are loathsome, and if you don’t like the conversation you are under absolutely no obligation to participate.

Here’s the way I see it. If a comic strip, any comic strip, were to portray something loathsomely racist, and the commenters on said comic strip (or some of them, anyway) supported that racism, then I would hardly keep my yap shut and not say anything “because it’s just a comic strip.” As I said in one of my previous comments, popular entertainment – yes, including long-running comic strips – is both shaped by real culture and actually helps shape real culture, by reinforcing messages and attitudes and making them seem part of normal life.

Now, given that this is a real issue, here, and many of the commenters on this thread are reflecting back the same kind of victim-blaming in the thread as in the comic, in precisely the same way that derails rape trials into discussions of whether a woman was “asking for it” by wearing a miniskirt….yes, I am going to have this discussion. It’s obvious that not everyone will read it. But since this kind of thing affects me and mine, I will make d*** sure that it doesn’t go unsaid.

Like I said, you are absolutely under no obligation to participate. But you also don’t really get to tell people not to discuss the wider issues.

Way to be part of the problem, there, son. The problem is not the clothing. The problem is the perpetrator. Or are you still ignoring the past pattern of Les’s behavior, since you have a current excuse to victim-blame?

As a former Federal LEO, I am tellingall of you, point-blank, that a hard-core rapist will attack ANYTHING FEMALE AND HUMAN when the urge hits him. But a teen-age LECH amateur will be MORE likely to go after a good-looking girl close to his own age, and the more provocatively-dressed, the higher the probability. This is NOT ALWAYS the case, and SOMETIMES, depending upon other, psychological factors, a rapist will go after other targets when “The Last of the Red-Hot Mamas” is right THERE.But GENERALLY and STATISTICALLY speaking, Queen Zeye is in more danger than Little Orphan Annie. USUALLY, not always.

Woman dressed like a nun vs woman dressed in clothes that are made to show off her very sexy figure: most male attention is on the one who, intentionally or not, is showing off her assets. In the company of jerks like Les, yes, she’s “asking” for it simply because he’s looking specifically for “it.” That, Mr. or Ms Question Mark, is common sense, and not nonsense.

Having read through 167 comments, I may as well add my 2 cents at the end of the day. There’s no proof that Leslie is a rapist, and I don’t think that Greg Evans intends him as such. He’s just a creepy jerk that thinks he’s God’s gift to women and anyone he selects will be more than willing to be his gal – given enough time and attention. He may even have heard that if a woman says “NO” she means “Maybe”. If she says “Maybe”, she means “Yes”. When Tiffany talks to Crystal about it, Crystal says that maybe the reason that Les doesn’t hear “NO” is because Tiff’s clothing is sending a different message – one advertising that she’s looking for male attention. So, Tiffany, either accept that you’ll get some unwanted male attention, or consider dressing less provocatively.It’s been about 30 years since I had to worry about what my daughter wore in public, or on dates, but I was always concerned about her safety and tried to teach her to minimize the risk of advertising what she didn’t want and to be cautious when she was alone and/or in the dark. There’s too much danger out there to be foolish and ignore it.

How many times must it be said that this isn’t about attracting male attention? READ WHAT CRYSTAL IS ACTUALLY SAYING. It’s not about Leslie Knox looking at Tiffany, or even making a crass comment. It’s about harassment. It’s about his pushing on after being told no, invading her space, backing her up against the wall, and about Crystal telling her that she has no one to blame but herself because of how she’s dressed. What exactly are Tiffany’s clothes saying “Yes” to? It’s Leslie’s harassment and bullying. Crystal is saying it’s Tiffany’s fault, maybe not all of it, but some of it, and that’s simply too much. It’s all Leslie’s fault.

Boy, if all this slut shaming were instead directed at trying to keep boys and men from behaving so abominably, think about what we could accomplish.

please stop feeding the troll

Oh my – All these problems would be “solved” for girls if they could just go to school/work/shopping dressed provocatively somewhere where only cool, really cute guys are allowed… All the other guys should stay home and play video games or something… Back to the real world…if Rosa and Tiffany both went to the principal and said how Les is bullying them – I think Les would get one warning – and expelled next time. I’m already visualizing Les having to flip burgers and mop floors for Ann Eiffel! If Les got at all frisky with Ann, she would exaggerate the incident to the cops (while looking her best), and gloat while Les gets taken away in handcuffs.

Going to have to say it at least once more. If a girl dresses provocatively, there are turds out there that look at it as an invitation

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So hold the girl responsible for that rather than blaming the turd? It happens not because the girl is dressed in a particular fashion, but because the turd decides that that’s an invitation.-100% of all rape victims were raped because their rapist decided to rape them. 100% of all harassment victims were harassed because their harassers decided to harass them. Why should this be about changing how the victim conducts herself?

Just because a flower is pretty does not mean that just anybody gets to pluck it.

I agree completely.

“So, with that in mind, who is a bigger loser, Knute or Toad Juice?”-Aha! Trick question!-Real answer: Neither is a loser because each is successful in living the kind of life he wishes to live.

“Would AE be that mean?” Hey – Wild bears don’t go fishing around for a quarter when they have to …. in the woods.

A salient point until you consider that Tiff could not get the Aussie boy, Quill, to give her any more than the time of day (if that) and that Leslie (how I love calling him that) was also harassing Rosa, who dressed more modestly. True that, it shouldn’t matter how you dress, you should be free of unwanted attention, but how you dress and groom yourself in public interactions shows what you think of yourself, and what you think of others. In some circumstances, it is outright rude to dress in an inappropriate manner .. I suspect Evans is not so much expessing what he thinks as he is introducing some tension between two characters who are frequently in each other’s company.

I am shocked – Greg this is in such poor taste – learn the facts – women get targetted because they are vulnerable not because they are “asking for it”. If the cute jock rapes her it’s still rape. In my university dorm 6 of 8 girls had been molested or raped and all by people they knew and not one wore provocative clothing. Shame on you Greg Evens – I hoped for better from you.

Crystal, please, STOP!