Women are being barred from entering Congress over ‘inappropriate’ clothing, causing the Congressional dress code to come under fire.
Female journalists are being refused entry into the House because they are wearing sleeveless dresses – despite the temperatures in Washington reaching over 30 degrees.
One female journalist is believed to have used paper from her notebook in an attempt to give her dress sleeves. However, an officer enforcing the rules still ejected her for breach of the dress code.
Speaking to CBS News, Haley Byrd of the Independent Journal Review also spoke of how she was removed from the House for violating the rules. She said, “When I was kicked out that day I was just trying to pass through the area to reach another hallway, but I was told I was violating the rules.”
“They offered to find me a sweater for me to put on so it wasn’t some tyrannical end of free press, but I opted to just go around instead.”
“But recently they’ve been cracking down on the code, like with open-toed shoes.”
Dress code rules have also been enforced with men, who have to wear suit jackets and ties. One journalist, Jacob Fischler, said he had to wear a “tie of shame” which was provided by officials.
The House Speaker, Paul Ryan, has recently lamented the rules saying, “Members should periodically rededicate themselves to the core principles of proper parliamentary practice that are so essential to maintaining order and deliberacy here in the House.”
“Members should wear appropriate business attire during all sittings of the House however brief their appearance on the floor may be.”
However, according to The Washington Post, what is deemed “appropriate” attire is not officially set out, except for men having to wear a jacket and tie.