The women's dress code inside the Missouri House of Representatives will undergo one notable change in 2023 — due, in part, to a female representative proposing the amended language.
On Wednesday, the Missouri House reportedly adopted a new dress code for women, which appears to be a slight modification from the 2021 dress code, to include requiring their arms be covered while on the premises.
State Rep. Ann Kelley, a Republican, proposed the rules change to characterize proper attire for women in the House as "jackets worn with dresses, skirts, or slacks, and dress shoes or boots." An amendment, which was enacted, clarifies that jackets include cardigans, reported The Kansas City Star.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, women hold less than one-third of the state Legislature seats.
Kelley's proposal was not warmly received by other female members of the state House.
State Rep. Raychel Proudie, a Democrat, dismissed the motion as "ridiculous" while speaking on the House floor. She added, "We are fighting — again — on a woman's right to choose something, and this time is how she covers herself," per a video tweeted by Heartland Signal.
Shortly thereafter, Democrat Minority Whip Ashley Aune asked Kelley, "Do you know what it feels like to have a bunch of men in this room looking at your top trying to decide whether it's appropriate or not?"
Kelley responded by saying, "You would think that all you would have to do is say, 'dress professionally' and women could handle it."
On social media, state Rep. Peter Meredith, a Democrat, echoed the sentiments of his female Democrat colleagues.
Meredith tweeted: "Yep, The caucus that lost their minds over the suggestion that they should wear masks during a pandemic to respect the safety of others is now spending its time focusing on the fine details of what women have to wear (specifically how to cover their arms) to show respect here."
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