Vatican City Enforces 'Hypocritical' New Dress Code
Watch those hemlines and bare arms, ladies! Photo: Getty Images
Though previously the Pope's guards had only insisted on conservative dress for those entering St. Peter's Basilica -- even First Lady Michelle Obama donned a black veil while visiting last summer -- the new code reportedly also applies to the Vatican's pharmacy, post office, and grocery store.
Inappropriately dressed visitors have been denied entry or been forced to buy shawls and long pants, according to the paper.
Yikes. We're all for being respectful, but we have a hard time accepting fashion critiques from guards dressed like colorful court jesters.
The widespread crackdown has reportedly been met with charges of hypocrisy considering the ongoing accusations of misconduct surrounding the Catholic Church.
"Given all the scandals the Church has been involved in, what possible right can it have to be preaching about the morality of sleeveless dresses?" one woman told the Telegraph.
What's your take? Should the Catholic Church have a right to say how all Vatican City visitors dress? Leave a comment!
Meanwhile, scantily clad women are also causing drama with male drivers.
Tags: bare arms, catholic church, dress codes, pope, religion, short skirts, shorts, skirts, sleeveless, vatican, Vatican City
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Valerie, 10-16-2010, 9:49PM
On my first trip to the Vatican in 1963, I was refused entrance to St. Peters because I was wearing a sleeveless dress. The extremely conservative dress code is certainly nothing new. It existed in 1963 and probably long before that.
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