How do I Armor #3: When is sexy armor appropriate?

This is by far the most common question we receive at Bikini Armor Battle Damage, when is it okay to make the armor sexy?  As it turns out, there's quite a few good reasons to do so.  The problem isn't that there's never an excuse for sexy armor, it's that sexy armor is often set as the default for female characters and that adherence to default becomes the priority.

This one was also accompanied with a text post discussing alternatives.