Many have said that Republican policies are hostile to women. This story leaves no doubt that the patriarchal women-controlling nature of the Paul Ryan’s House is in full vogue.
Paul Ryan in House stating rules
.@SpeakerRyan: "Members should wear appropriate business attire…" pic.twitter.com/a4f1Oy5ifT
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 23, 2017
It is hard to believe that Paul Ryan would allow such a sexist order to take effect. How different is this than religions that control women’s attire?
CBS reports the following.
A young, female reporter recently tried to enter a guarded room known as the Speaker’s lobby outside the House chamber, but her outfit was considered inappropriate because her shoulders weren’t covered. She was wearing a sleeveless dress. Forced to improvise, she ripped out pages from her notebook and stuffed them into her dress’s shoulder openings to create sleeves, witnesses said. An officer who’s tasked with enforcing rules in the Speaker’s lobby said her creative concoction still was not acceptable.
The Speaker’s lobby, a room adjacent to the front of the House chamber, is a go-to location for reporters wanting to grab lawmakers for brief interviews, and there are allegedly rules about what you can wear inside. Even as denizens of Capitol Hill wipe away sweat from Washington, D.C.’s swamp-like weather outside, men are expected to wear suit jackets and ties in the House chamber and Speaker’s lobby. Women, on the other hand, have been told they’re not allowed to wear sleeveless blouses or dresses, sneakers or open-toed shoes.
These rules are far from clear-cut and there are no visible signs defining them. They are also not enforced on the Senate side of the Capitol.
These restrictions are yet another infringement on our liberties. It is clear that there is no valid reason to deny a woman’s access because of her sleeveless attire if it weren’t some method of control. The party that continuously preaches about personal freedom is busy ensuring that they are in control of our personal freedoms in the people’s House.
