Pants in Paris

[Deleted]

French Parliament repeals law on women in pants

www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=126523525&m=126523524

[lagatta]

I'm sure there are archaic laws on the books where you live too. I remember we had a statute on the books until fairly recently prohibiting women (and perhaps men) wearing shorts in Montréal. The upscale district of Outremont (at the time an independent, enclaved, town) had a statute prohibiting MEN from going about without wearing a shirt. Perhaps we should do a thread on such archaic statutes and by-laws?

Glad they repealed the silly thing, if only because such obscure laws could be dragged out to ticket a person for utterly unrelated reasons.

Famous women who (gasp) "cross-dressed" in the 19th-century, such as George Sand and Rosa Bonheur, had to obtain police permission. Bonheur was an animal painter, and often working closely with horses, cattle and other large beasts.

This, in French: www.rue89.com/2010/05/04/femmes-si-vous-portez-un-pantalon-vous-etes-hors-la-loi-150160

[Deleted]

Of course we do Lagatta,and some equally,if not more,ridiculous.
Good idea about a thread for such. Will do. Have several that I have actually "experienced".

[lagatta]

The Telegraph reports that trousers are now a mandatory component of Paris policewomen's uniforms: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/7677686/Paris-trouser-ban-for-women-could-be-lifted.html

So they were technically breaking the law!

Casimira, Louisiana and Québec share many laws based on the Code Napoléon (nowadays Le Code civil du Québec). I wonder if any of shameful laws from times of official racial discrimination remain on the books, although I imagine the Civil Rights Act made them null and void?