Joanne Chow, the pastor of Pasir Panjang Hill Brethren Church, previously asked women not to dress in a revealing and provocative manner, so as not to induce “men’s lustful thoughts”.
Posted onto the Christian site’s Instagram profile, @Thir.st, her post drew flak and was heavily criticized for her views on victim-blaming.
The response to her statements have been vociferously volatile, with many calling her out for her ignorance.
And in their initial response to the public backlash, they defended their stance.
However, Chow then apologised to the people whom she might’ve hurt with her comments, addressing the victims of sexual abuse.
But she still encourages women to dress modestly, as an appeal for consideration and with the best intentions.
Her full apology is as follows:
“Hi everyone, I realise that my comment on dressing modestly has sparked many responses and comments, and even angered many people. I’m truly sorry if it has hurt anyone, especially victims of sexual abuse. I understand how it ended up coming across as insensitive and that it caused offence to some in light of the recent revelations around Ravi Zacharias.“
“I hope you will allow me to clarify my position. To be clear, I do not advocate victim blaming in any way. In any sex crime, the victim’s attire is irrelevant. Women are not responsible for men’s actions. I made the point about dressing modestly purely as an appeal for consideration, with the best of intentions.“
“While the Ravi Z revelations caused me to start thinking about this issue again, my article was actually not about addressing sexual predation or how to avoid it. Rather, I hoped to encourage the Christian community to help each other avoid sexual temptation.“
“In this area, both men and women play a part. As a woman, I wrote the article to speak to other females who want to take sexual temptation, and their part in the church seriously.“
“There is greater clarity on hindsight as to how a message or thought could have been better framed or phrased; I accept that. It was not my intention at all to insinuate victim blaming or excuse predatory behaviour and I apologise if it came across that way.“
Images source: @thir.st on IG