If she shows her breasts, she's asking for it???

While going through old news stories about the Vancouver Riots last night, I found a post about an unnamed young lady who was sexually assaulted by Olympic hopeful Nathan Kotylak while flashing her breasts to a crowd of rioters.

While the assault itself disturbed me, the comments below the post were an even bigger slap in the face.

Gwen Fitzgerald comments:

"maybe the woman shouldn't be throwing them out there?"

Dave LeBlanc has this to say about the assault:

"she provoked attention, so she got it simple"

and

"Didn't say she deserves it, like i say real women know better, THAT MEN LACK SELF-CONTROL that's why we have certain places for that crap (maybe you've never heard of a strip club?) there's a time and a place for everything, simple..."

Is it acceptable for a person to be molested if they shows skin? Is it admissible to say that if she shows her breasts, men, because of their inherant "lack of self control" are not guilty of wrong? Is it okay to blame the victim while defending the person commiting the rape?

Does this remind anyone else of the Toronto police officer who said "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized"?

Are these comments just symptomatic of a culture which represses sexuality and sexual equality or was she "asking for it" by showing her breasts?