@ FlamingRedhead: I do not think that tessa was trying to force medieval behaviour rules unto you by saying " (And not going unattended to bars might help, too.)"

I think she just tried to point out to you how men function. And a woman without an escort is to most men someone approachable.
(There are men who have brains and experience enough to judge if a woman wants to be approached, or wants to be approached by THEM, but those are rare.)

See it like this - a woman who is seeking will dress up and go out.
But also, a woman who just wants to have a nice evening out (no matter if she is in a relationship or not!) on herself/with friends, will also dress up and go out.
Most men I met are NOT able to tell the difference.

tessa does have a point, after all. While I was single and wanted to go out WITHOUT the intent of finding a guy, I usually took my best gay friend along. This gave me the opportunity to dress up like hell without being bothered by other men.

You can either put up with come-ons, or stay home, or take someone along who appears like your boyfriend. While this might not be valid for going to Starbucks or whatever, it certainly applies to locations where you are dressed in a suggestive way, and where people meet in a sexual context.

Just my 2 cents.