Not all Women Dress for Men — And Why Piers Morgan’s Take is So Outdated

Not all Women Dress for Men… And Why Piers Morgan’s Take is So Outdated

Recently, I watched Piers Morgan debate a woman on TV…. again, and I felt genuinely disturbed. His stance? That women dress solely to attract a suitor, in other words, for the attention of men.

Not once did it seem to cross his mind that:

• Some women are bisexual or gay.

• Some women have trauma that makes them want to repel male attention.

• Women in 2025 don’t live in 1892 — we are no longer bound by the outdated notion that our sole purpose is to secure a man for survival.

We have sperm banks. We have education. We have careers, financial independence, and choice. Women can, and do, empower themselves to live full, rich lives without centering men.

So for Piers to sit there, dripping with smug certainty, and declare it a universal truth that all women dress with men in mind? That is one of the most misogynistic, tunnel-visioned, naive, and ignorant comments I have ever heard.

The Projection Problem: What It Says About

Him

What struck me most is that Piers admitted he dresses with women in mind. He dresses to attract. He dresses for external validation.

That’s revealing. Because when a man says his entire reason for dressing is to get women’s attention, what does that say about him?

• Does it point to insecurity… a need for constant approval, a craving for reassurance that he’s desirable?

• Does it mean his sense of self-worth is built not on who he is, but on whether women approve of how he looks?

• Does it show that he has so internalised the idea of “performing” for the opposite sex that he can’t imagine anyone existing outside of that framework?

It’s almost tragic. Dressing for women all the time, never mentioning he did this ever for himself suggests he doesn’t yet know how to ground himself in his own identity. Maybe he’s dependent on the gaze of women to feel valid? Who knows. And because he sees the world this way, he projects it outward, assuming all women must be doing the same thing.

The Deeper Problem: Entitlement and Harassment

This worldview might also be a clue, an insight as to why so many men feel entitled to women’s bodies. If the underlying belief is that women are dressing for them, then of course they’ll feel it’s their role to acknowledge it, comment on it, or “reward” it.

That’s where the wolf-whistles, the street harassment, the “come on love, smile!” demands come in. It’s as if some men believe:

• If a woman looks attractive, she must have done that for me or to get male attention.

• Since she dressed for my attention, I have to let her know she “succeeded” even if it’s by shouting degrading things from a car window.

• If it’s deemed a compliment it won’t make her feel uncomfortable but the opposite, might even strike up a conversation and lead to subduction.

• And if a woman doesn’t look like she’s made an effort? Then it becomes an insult to their ego: Why isn’t she smiling at me? Why isn’t she trying for me? What’s wrong with me that she doesn’t want to impress me? Why doesn’t she care?

This entitlement breeds misogyny. It sustains a culture where some men feel justified in harassing, shaming, or abusing women based on how we look.

The Roots of Rape Culture

And it goes even deeper than catcalls. This belief system is at the heart of rape culture.

We’ve all heard the toxic saying: “If she dressed like that, she must be asking for it.”

Research backs this up. Studies on college campuses have shown that some men openly admit to pressuring women into sex, yet they don’t view it as rape. Why? Because in their minds, if a woman dressed provocatively, if she flirted, if she drank too much, then she had already “given” consent. Her clothing, her body language, her intoxication were twisted into a “yes” that she never actually spoke.

That is rape culture: a mindset where some men believe women’s bodies are automatically available, where consent is assumed, erased, or manipulated and where women are blamed for the violence committed against them.

Dressing for Me

When I think about the way I dress, it comes down to this:

• What makes me feel beautiful?

• What feels comfortable?

• What is practical for the day I’m about to live?

Sure, there have been times, when I was younger, single, and dating — that I dressed with the thought of what a man might find sexy. But those were moments of choice. Not a 24/7 reality. Not the underlying motivation behind every single outfit I put on, as Piers implied.

And let’s be clear: his projection was showing. He admitted he dresses to attract women — so he assumed women must be doing the same. That’s not truth. That’s his own limited worldview, and it says far more about him than it does about women.

A New Era of Dressing

Here’s my truth: I’m married. I don’t need or want a suitor. Attention from men often makes me uncomfortable, something I’m actively working through. If anything, I’d rather dress to repel men than attract them, sometimes I do a great job of this and feel my most confident, get you’re head around that one.

And you know what? I’m not the only one. There’s a powerful shift happening. Women are unapologetically stepping into their authentic selves. Dressing not for the male gaze, not for societal approval, but for their own joy, comfort, and expression.

We’re unmasking. We’re saying:

• If I want pink hair, I’ll dye it pink.

• If I want platforms or flats, I’ll wear them.

• If I want a bodycon dress or an oversized jumper, that’s my choice.

• Makeup or no makeup. Botox or not.

And yes I know I know there are some women out there dressing up solely for the approval of others, not just men but all, cloning one another and putting ridiculous high standards and pressure on themselves, to the point where some are becoming serious ill, by the aftermath of certain choices and it breaks me heart. If that’s where some women are at, that’s their journey, so be it, they, like other women still deserve compassion, love and respect!

My hope is that those women on some level still have empowered moments of, this is Not for him. Not for them. For me.

And that’s the revolution. When you choose your underwear because it makes you feel good, when you spray perfume because you like the scent — that’s liberation.

So no, Mr. Morgan, women do not exist to decorate your world or compete for your attention. Some women are not dressing for you/ men/ others. We are dressing for ourselves.