Italian town bans miniskirts and low-rise jeans

A small town in Italy called Castellammare di Stabia is planning to ban miniskirts and low-cut jeans, which the mayor, Luigi Bobbio hopes will "restore urban decorum and facilitate better civil co-existence. BBC News reports that those who do not abide by these new wardrobe rules will face fines of 25 euros ($35) to 500 euros ($689). Another report says tops that reveal too much cleavage will also warrant a fine.

Personally, I don't believe in dress codes. I went to schools with fairly lax dress codes (no rips, no jeans, no hats indoors were some of the policies enforced), and while I followed all the rules in the handbook, I was constantly brought in to see the assistant principal for what she considered inappropriate. She called my purple hair dye "distracting," yet there was no written rule against using it. She claimed parents complained that my miniskirt was too short (it went halfway down my thigh) and asked if my mother knew what I was wearing. My mom bought it for me and there was no rule on skirt length, so what could she do about it? My point is, dress codes can be hard to enforce, and ultimately stifle our freedom. Which sucks. And while institutions and business can enforce some basic rules to look presentable and professional, I believe what a person wears in public should be up to individual discretion.

Mayor Bobbio says he is targetting people who are "rowdy, unruly or simply badly behaved." Wait a minute. Since when does wearing a mini skirt or lowrise jeans means you are badly behaved? A local parish priest, Don Paulo Cecere, was quoted as saying this new dress code is "a way of combating the rise in sexual harassment." I'm sorry, but as a woman I don't feel that wearing a mini skirt warrants or excuses sexual harrassment. Perhaps those who are making lewd and inappropriate comments towards women should be the ones reprimanded, not the ladies wearing short skirts.

As for just how this rule will be enforced, you most likely won't find officers carrying around a ruler. "They won't need to carry out checks up close," says Mayor Bobbio. "One glance will be enough to judge." Thankfully, residents like councillor Angela Cortese are standing up to these new rules. "By equating women's clothing with urban decorum, this measure implies women are no more than benches or hedges," said Cortese. "This turns the clock back years for women and undermines all our victories." We'd have to agree. [BBC][Guardian]