2023-09-29 18:55:01
Senator John Fetterman, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, September 28, 2023. ALEX BRANDON / AP
The carelessness in clothing lasted only ten days in the American Senate. The Upper House of the United States approved, on Wednesday, September 27, a resolution which reviews the relaxation of the dress code in the Senate decided by Chuck Schumer, the leader of the senatorial majority.
This resolution, carried by Senator Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Senator Mitt Romneywas adopted through a process known as “ unanimous consent “. It formalizes an unspoken rule consisting of wearing a “street clothes”namely a jacket, tie and trousers – or any other form of long trousers – for men.
“For two hundred and thirty-four years, every senator who has had the honor of serving in this eminent [assemblée] assumed that there were some basic written rules regarding decorum, conduct and civility, including a dress code”, Mitt Romney wrote in a statement..
After the adoption of the Manchin-Romney resolution, Mr. Schumer, who is not known for his sartorial audacity, contented himself with a terse comment: “Although we have never had an official dress code, the events of the past week have made us all feel that making it official is a good thing. »
And the elected officials in all this?
Curiously, this resolution has a serious blind spot: it makes no reference to what the twenty-five current senators are supposed to carry. As recalled The Hillthe site which deals with American political and institutional information, “Since the election of Republican Jeannette Rankin, the first woman to the House of Representatives, in 1917 and for the decades that followed, female politicians have worn dark, discreet dresses so as not to stand out”. According to Matthew Wasniewski, the historian of the House of Representatives cited by The Hillpour “access positions of influence in the House and Congress”the elected officials sought to “integrate and minimize gender differences”.
For his part, the American feminist and liberal magazine Ms. points out that in its two hundred and thirty-four year history, Congress has only really taken an interest in fashion matters once: on September 14, 1837, the House voted to ban… the wearing of ‘A headgear in the hemicycle.
Le magazines Ms. notes that the need to clarify the rules of decorum only became apparent when the activities of Congress – the House of Representatives, in this case – began to be broadcast on television in 1979. The Speaker of the House of Representatives United States then defined what was ” suitable “ in terms of appearance: if the elected officials were forced to wear suits and ties, the seventeen elected officials at the time were completely ignored. Not feeling the need to appeal to this minority, the dress code remained vague, requiring only a “appropriate dress code”.
In 2017, the House voted to allow elected officials to wear sleeveless dresses. In the process, several elected officials immortalized this moment by posing for a group photo, bare arms on the steps of the Capitol.
On January 3, 2019, Congress went further, burying the 1837 provision: the House then voted for a series of rules authorizing the wearing of head coverings religious in session to be able to welcome Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, the first two elected representatives of the Muslim faith in Congress.
Developments were less rapid in the Senate. In the early 1990s, elected officials were allowed to wear more casual clothing during weekend sessions. Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski and Republican Nancy Kassebaum followed suit and also came in pants, as noted in 2011 Roll Callthe American political newspaper which mainly covers political news from the United States Congress.
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In 1992, during an election year that the press dubbed « The year of the woman »the seven senators (five newly elected and two in office) become a restless minority and difficult to ignore. Three of them – Barbara Mikulski, Nancy Kassebaum and Carol Moseley-Braun – decided to attend the sessions in pantsuits. Martha Pope, the first sergeant-at-arms of the Senate, found nothing wrong with it – for lack of a dress code – and circulated a memo authorizing access to the session to elected officials wearing « pants » or ” pantsuit “a definition vague enough that they can shape their image as they wish.
In the midst of the debate on the shutdown, the timing of this vote on the dress code raises questions. Mitt Romney admitted there was more urgencybut says he sees “an example of the ability of Republicans and Democrats to work together”. Interviewed by CNNSenator John Fetterman estimated that the Senate “had other, more important matters to deal with.” Never leaving his sports shorts, his hooded sweatshirt and his sneakers, the Democrat was nevertheless the main beneficiary of the initial measure to relax the dress code.
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