Republicans advise first daughters to cover up

Illustration by: Carly Rubin

Illustration by: Carly Rubin

On March 7, President Barack Obama and the first family marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the lives lost in “Bloody Sunday.” The event was followed by an uproar in the United States Congress, stemming from a reason far from civil rights.

Upon viewing footage of the march, various Republican representatives spoke out on their dismay towards the first daughters’, Sasha’s and Malia’s, choices of attire. According to the article, “House Republicans Proposing “Dress Code” For First Daughters,” Congressman Richard Head proclaimed, “Did you see the photos from the march? The First Daughters looked like pole dancers. You could clearly see their knees and even an inch or two of their thighs.” 

Congressman Head soon took matters into his own hands, proposing a bill titled, “The Respectable First Family Act.” The bill aims to monitor the clothing choices of all presidential and vice presidential children under the age of 18 throughout the entire time their mother or father is in office.

 

1. “No dress or skirt shall expose any portion of the leg or waist more than one (1) inch above the ankle

2. Nor shall a girl’s feet be exposed fully outside of socks and/ or toed shoes

3. Shirt or blouse sleeves must be present, and may not be shorter than one (1) inch from the wrist

4. No other part of the torso below the neck be exposed

Many Republican House Representatives are expressing support for the bill. In fact, their ambitions are to begin enforcing it within the year of 2015. As reported in, “House Republicans Proposing “Dress Code” For First Daughters,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy stated that: choosing to implement the rules of the document represents,“the best, most traditional and most honorable Christian values we could hope for from legislation.”

However, this is not the first time the Obama girls have been ridiculed for their presentation in public. In an article titled, “Obama daughters outrage: GOP staffer sparks backlash for outfit critique,” it is announced that back in November of 2014, Elizabeth Lauten, former media director of the Republican National Committee, spoke out in a Facebook post admonishing the girls to, “Act like being in the White House matters to you. Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar.”

Regarding this, various House Democrats have solicited reference to the Bush daughters, Jenna and Barbara, highlighting their old antics of partying and underage drinking. In, “House Republicans Proposing “Dress Code” For First Daughters,” One House Democrat went on to point out that, “If you even considered bringing up those girls, you’d be lynched by the GOP. But President Obama’s daughters are black, so I guess anything goes now, right?”