Mr Benjamin Sim Buke Huang's letter ("Mind how we dress in public"; last Saturday) has generated much debate.

However, his point that "women wear shorts to many places, even to places of worship" and that this shows "a lack of respect for others as well as for the religion" seems to have been overlooked by many of his detractors.

I don't wish to sound prudish, but I must say I was also very concerned when I saw my adolescent son's undergraduate tutor turning up in hot pants for one-to-one home tuition sessions with him, and they had lessons for up to two hours in his room.

The wearing of shorts and hot pants seems to be a trend among many university undergraduates nowadays.

Perhaps universities should consider holding talks on the importance of appropriate attire and the subtle messages that could be sent when one is wearing certain types of clothing.

Clothing affects one's attitude towards the task at hand, which is probably why some jobs require uniforms.

Would students be more serious in the presence of a lecturer dressed in proper work attire, or one dressed in T-shirt and bermudas?

Many of today's youngsters embrace the latest fashion without much thought about the implications of their outfits. It is not uncommon to see them sporting tight-fitting shorts and scanty tops.

It may be a person's right to dress as he or she wishes, but certain forms of dressing may invite the wrong type of attention.

I have a right to carry a large amount of cash and wear excessive jewellery, but if I flaunt these possessions in public and get robbed, people will surely think I had it coming by flaunting my wealth.

The same argument applies to sex crimes.

Even though sex crimes may still occur regardless of how a woman dresses, posters with messages reminding women to exercise good judgment in their dressing before going out may be in order.

We live in an imperfect world, and one has to be careful.

Low Siew Hua (Ms)