Give in, give up, or give out?

Mansfield has also argued that gay people should be on the “margin” of society and blames feminism for any lack of chivalry.

“Women play the men’s game, which they are bound to lose,” he said in a lecture last year. “Without modesty, there is no romance — it isn’t so attractive or so erotic.” (Why young women are supposed to care about what an ageing misogynist finds erotic, I don’t know.)

The idea that women are inherently modest also puts an uncomfortable spin on an otherwise reasonable notion. Shalit argues that modesty is “a reflex, arising naturally to help a woman protect her hopes and guide her fulfillment — specifically, this hope for one man.” But the insistence that this is the “natural” way for women to be only leads us to the conclusion that anything else is unnatural — even dangerous. Shalit has also written that “teens, especially girls, tend to regret their sexual experiences, and the more experiences they have, the more likely they are to be depressed and commit suicide.” Staying chaste is one thing, implying that those who don’t are depressive is irresponsible.

Revamping outdated notions of femininity and positioning them as cutting edge may be a smart way to sell a glut of baggy bathing suits, but it sure doesn’t sound like a revolution.