As a female woman who lives in the real world, what Chris said.
I absolutely believe and support that a woman’s (AND an man’s) “no” means “no” in all circumstances. As someone who worked alone in the community for many years, I believe in taking sensible precautions in risky situations. I haven’t actually read Ms Merkell’s comments but from what the OP has said, maybe she messed up the message though. If she did say that women in Germany, in all times and places, should cover up to avoid cultural misunderstanding, i’d say that she is an idiot.