Missouri lawmakers adopt stricter dress code requiring women to cover shoulders
Cami Mondeaux
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Lawmakers in the Missouri House of Representatives passed a rules package earlier this week implementing a stricter dress code that requires women to cover their shoulders.
Under the new rules, women will be required to wear a jacket, blazer, or cardigan, according to the legislation. The amendment sparked pushback from several Democratic lawmakers who argued that the new rules were sexist because no changes were made to the men’s dress code.
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“Do you know what it feels like to have a bunch of men in this room looking at your top trying to determine if it’s appropriate or not?” state Rep. Ashley Aune, a Democrat, asked on the floor during debate.
One Democrat, state Rep. Peter Merideth, declined to vote on the amendment. He argued it is a “really dangerous road” to vote on what is considered “appropriate or not appropriate for women.”
“Y’all had a conniption fit the last two years when we talked about maybe, maybe wearing masks in a pandemic to keep each other safer,” Merideth said. “Well, I know some governments require women to wear things over their face, but here, oh, it’s OK because we’re just talking about how many layers they have to have over their shoulders.”
However, Republicans shot back, arguing the new dress code encourages equality for male and female colleagues. Under the current dress code, men are required to wear a coat and tie when conducting business.
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“Men are required to wear a jacket, a shirt, and a tie, correct? And if they walked in here without a tie, they would get gaveled down in a heartbeat,” said state Rep. Ann Kelley, a Republican who introduced the rule. “If they walked in without a jacket, they would get gaveled down in a heartbeat. So, we are so interested in being equal.”
The amendment passed the state House in a voice vote, with the full rules package being adopted by the legislature in a 105-51 vote.