You know how modern day feminists cry “sexism!” when issues impact both men and women equally? Well, they’re doing it again.
Congress has a dress code for the House Speaker’s lobby, where reporters generally ask legislators questions. Women must wear sleeves and closed toed shoes in the narrow stretch of hallway outside the House chamber at all times. Similarly, men must wear a suit and tie, which is actually more restrictive. Sounds like your everyday, average and reasonable, business professional attire.
However, things are being blown out of proportion because a female journalist was stopped for her sleeveless dress and instead of turning away, she decided to push her luck.
CBS reports that the creative reporter “ripped out pages from her notebook and stuffed them into her dress’s shoulder openings to create sleeves.” “An officer who’s tasked with enforcing rules in the Speaker’s lobby said her creative concoction still was not acceptable,” the story goes.
Immediately leftists women’s magazines like Vogue and Jezebel ran pieces of feminist outrage against Republicans and Speaker Ryan.
“It really is truly something that the House wants to deny essential health benefits to women, including prenatal care, while simultaneously worrying themselves over the appropriateness of shoulders and toes,” Jezebel published.
However, the dress code was to be discussed on the floor that very day, and the reporter with the “questionable” sleeveless dress admits that she was told out of kindness, so that she wasn’t made into an example on the floor.
Sure, it’s a cutesy story. You can make jokes about “the right to bear arms” and former hill interns can relay their experiences with sleeveless dresses. The problem arises when we fail to acknowledge it’s a dress code for both genders, and not an assault on women.
My advice to journalists in a tizzy: throw on a sweater or a blazer and show some respect. If you want to blog in your PJs or a tank top, pick a different beat.
