Female lawmakers ‘bare arms’ in sleeveless attire to support new House dress code

A number of female House Democrats wore sleeveless clothing on Friday, tweeting in support of “Sleeveless Friday.” The action was part of the push to modernize the House dress code.  

“Thank you to all my colleagues who joined me for #SleevelessFriday — because women have the right to bare arms!” tweeted Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) 

Thank you to all my colleagues who joined me for #SleevelessFriday — because women have the right to bare arms! pic.twitter.com/PhMEf2v4ZP

— Jackie Speier (@RepSpeier) July 14, 2017

Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) said, “It’s 2017, and women vote, hold office, + choose their own style. Time to update the House rules to reflect the times!”

…But it’s 2017 and women vote, hold office, + choose their own style. Time to update House Rules to reflect the times! #SleevelessFriday pic.twitter.com/hSJarEsKKy

— Chellie Pingree (@chelliepingree) July 14, 2017

{mosads}Pingree’s comments were aimed at Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who said he would work with the sergeant-at-arms to modernize the dress code that includes requiring men to wear a suit and tie in both the Speaker’s lobby and House chamber.

New controversy recently sparked on Capitol Hill when female reporters protested being restricted from entering the Speaker’s lobby on business due to their attire. 

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said in a tweet that the women were exercising “the right to ‘bare’ arms!” 

House Democratic women celebrate the right to “bare” arms! pic.twitter.com/C6EaSe913B

— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) July 14, 2017

“Decorum is important, especially for this institution, and a dress code in the chamber and the lobby makes sense,” Ryan said this week. “We also don’t need to bar otherwise accepted contemporary business attire, so look for a change on that soon.”

The new dress code has not been announced.