This is Not a D.C. Clothing Blog

This week, people decided to care about a dress code that last week no one knew about. All because of this viral news story.

In case you didn’t click that link, apparently there is an area titled the “Speaker’s Lobby” where important people in D.C. talk to reporters. And last week, an unnamed reporter was denied entry to this location because of her clothing.

She was wearing a sleeveless dress.

And people got pissed. Mostly Twitter people, but still. They cried sexism. They cried ageism. They really cried a lot.

Paul Ryan even agreed with them, to some extent. He is considering “modernizing” the Speaker’s Lobby dress code.

And I don’t disagree with the criers or Paul Ryan. I make it a rule to despise dress codes.

But here’s my problem:

Professionalism is not governed by what a person wears.

The idea that a woman wearing open-toed shoes is less professional than a woman wearing closed-toed shoes is preposterous.

The idea that allowing men to work without wearing a tie will affect the level of professionalism on the Hill is equally preposterous.

Cases in point. Study these pictures carefully and tell me where you see professionalism, and how much of it is dependent on clothing.

Note Michelle Obama’s open-toed shoes and sleeveless dress.
In public. At a podium. Outside the White House. SAD!

I know it's hard to tell if Kellyanne Conway is being professional
because you can’t see if her shoes are closed-toed.

Yes, I know Claire Underwood is fictional.
But think about it. The point stands.

I’m not totally convinced that Ivanka Trump is nonfictional,
so I'm not sure this picture should count.

Don’t think I’ve forgotten you, males. Here are some male politicians dressed very professionally while doing, promoting, or benefiting from very unprofessional things.

Boris Johnson playing seated volleyball (because?) But the point is
he could enter the Speaker’s Lobby in that suit. Even though he's British.

That’s Aaron Burr, Sir. In a very professional wig.
Not the first VP to shoot someone, I might add.

I'm looking at you, Dick Cheney.

And finally, we can't forget Francis Underwood.
Fantastic suit. Terrifying (fictional) President.

So here’s my beef: I don’t give two hoots what people wear in the Speaker’s Lobby, the Oval Office, or anywhere else in Washington D.C. Not one bit. And likely, neither did you. Until your news app and/or Twitter feed told you to, you had probably never thought about it, and neither had I.

Before July 6, there are lots of other things I was thinking about. Like foreign aid and climate change and education reform. But now I’m thinking about clothes. And annoyingly, no matter what happens—whether Paul Ryan decides to keep or “modernize” the dress code for the Speaker’s Lobby—the level of proper decorum and professionalism on the Hill has dropped dramatically of late*, and absolutely NONE of it had to do with what anyone was wearing.

It had EVERYTHING to do with what people were saying and doing.

Paul Ryan, do whatever you want with the Speaker’s Lobby dress code. But don’t think that your choice will make a lick of difference as to the level of professionalism on the Hill.

Politicians, before this story became a story, people cared what you said and did, not what you wore. And once this story fades away, that’s what we’ll care about again. As it should be.

* For discussions about unprofessional political behavior that is ENTIRELY UNRELATED to clothing, see this, this, and that.