"Women dress up for other women".

[ReineD]

I'd like to tweak this even further. Could it not be argued that the woman in the sexy sweater dress she is ultimately dressing for herself? After all, isn't it (for want of a better word) an appeal to others (men) for ultimately her own benefit in that receiving positive responses from men would result in making her feel great about herself?

That's precisely my point. The woman in the sexy sweater dress feels better about herself when she receives positive responses from men (not women). She probably doesn't dress this way if she's spending an evening alone at home. And as Miamimarie pointed out, she likely doesn't dress like this when she's out grocery shopping, or if she attends a baby shower.

My other point is women who don't dress this way, don't seek men's (or her man's) positive, specifically sexual responses. Maybe they've been married for a long time, or they know their husbands are attracted to them for other reasons than their booties (for lack of a better term), or their focus is on their kids or their careers, for example. These are the women who do dress for themselves, whether it is in blue jeans or basic office attire.

I want to add there is nothing wrong with a woman dressing up in a sexy manner, wanting to please her man (or looking for a man if she's single). I try to appeal to my SO when I dress like this, or when I wear a pair of tight leggings (that shows off certain parts of my body ) and heels with a sexy sweater.

Just let's not say that women who dress sexily don't have a man, (or men) in mind when they wear outfits like this. Because frankly, women don't look at other womens' behinds the same way that men do.