No More Paris Pants Poverty

Equality between men and women has been an important and vital issue in the world for some time now. In terms of diversity, progress on this topic is discussed over and over again. It is no longer surprising for women to be in the top ranks of a business or, say, to wear something besides a skirt. This is why I was extremely surprised to hear the news about a Parisian law recently.

Until Jan. 31, 2013, Paris had a law that stated women were not legally allowed to wear pants. That is, unless they were to get permission from the police. The law was created in the 1800s, according to the Associated Press, and has been in police books since then. In 1892 and 1909, changes were made so that women could wear pants when they were "'holding bicycle handlebars or reins of a horse'". However, under most circumstances closed legged bottoms were out of the question.

It is reported to have been mostly unenforced, which is why officials saw no need to repeal it. According to Traci Tong from The World, the government thought there were more important issues to deal with than repealing a law not used. However, a women politician was still criticized last year for wearing pants to a cabinet meeting.

As a fashion hub, it is very surprising Paris would allow this to stay on the books so long. Yearly fashion weeks hosted in Paris exemplify the freedom women have to get creative with their dress. Yet, for the past 213 years, it has technically been against the law any time a women goes through the streets wearing jeans, slacks, bell bottoms, or any other pant-style bottoms you can think of.