skirtcafe.org

Antiquated French Law - - -

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/ba ... 28337.html

"Skirt-Kilt-ON"
rma

This antique bit of legislation was finally repealed yesterday (2013-02-04) -- and about time, too. I wonder if there's a law there prohibiting guys from wearing skirts?

Perhaps they need the assistance of Crocodile Dundee to check peoples sex for them (anyone who did not see the film will wonder what the hell he is talking about).

Nick

Nick, that one almost cost me a mouthful of tea. And, yes, I have seen the movie.

"This order was aimed first of all at limiting the access of women to certain offices or occupations by preventing them from dressing in the manner of men ... This order is incompatible with the principles of equality between women and men. ...

Therefore, in France at least, a man (applying the principles of equality between women and men) should be able to wear a skirt when ever and where ever he likes?

Charlie

No-one ever tried to stop me from wearing my skirts and kilts in France, but, to be honest, no-one has tried to stop women there from wearing trousers in the last few decades either.

Martin

Women, technically, are banned from wearing pants.

Wrong.
That's what all the newspapers, blogs and even the politicians are saying, but that's untrue.
There is absolutely no reference to pants in this local law (an order of the prefect of Paris, to be more precise).
Women were banned from wearing male clothes, not specifically pants.
Of course, in 1800, when the ban was enacted, it meant the same thing, because pants were a male piece of clothing.
But at least since the 60's, pants are unisex. So, at least since the 60's, women are not "technically banned from wearing pants".

"This order was aimed first of all at limiting the access of women to certain offices or occupations by preventing them from dressing in the manner of men," she [France's minister of women's rights] said.

The precise motivations behind this order are, in fact, unknown.

So the pioneers, the first women to brave the opprobrium of all around them and wear trousers, were breaking the law, but at some point the effect of the law changed along with society's norms. Shades of the Old Testament discussion ...

skirtyscot wrote:Shades of the Old Testament discussion ...

Well, yes and no. Recall that the Old Testament was invalidated, by some denominations, by the New and that some still adhere to the Old. If memory serves, that invalidation was done pretty much by fiat, so conjecture must ask whether the invalidation was valid or not.

I solve the problem in other ways.

crfriend wrote:This antique bit of legislation was finally repealed yesterday (2013-02-04) -- and about time, too. I wonder if there's a law there prohibiting guys from wearing skirts?

I'm not totally certain about this but I remember seeing somewhere that it is illegal for men to wear skirts in New York City.

On a related note, I read somewhere also that it's illegal for men to wear dresses in Italy.

Raakone wrote:On a related note, I read somewhere also that it's illegal for men to wear dresses in Italy.

But of course, nobody can outshine the Vatican Curia, though to be fair, the lower orders have more fashion similarity to the Grandma in the old British Giles cartoons.