Women are now legally allowed to wear pants in Paris

That isht cray!

Women In Paris Are Now Allowed To Legally Wear Pants

Via NPR

Parisian women have finally caught up with the 21st century (and the end of the 20th century for that matter): They can now wear pants!

January 31, the 213-year-old ban was officially lifted.

“The repeal of the law… was made by France’s Minister for Women’s Rights, Ms. Vallaud-Belkacem,” Digital Journal reports.

The order had been in place since 1800, following the French Revolution. Women joined the workforces and demanded to wear pants as a part of a movement for equal rights. The law required that women ask the permission of local authorities to dress like a man.

“Banning women from trouser-wearing was thus an effective way of banning them from the rank and file of the revolution — and of keeping them, basically, in their place,” The Atlantic writes.

There were some exceptions and eventually amendments made in 1892 and 1909, so women could ride bicycles or horses in comfort (and style).

In 1946, the order remained even after women were declared equal to men in the French Constitution. As time went on, more women wore pants, the law went by the wayside and the Parisian female population continued to be law-breaking rebels through the 20th century.

Ya learn something new everyday. We’re sure that there have been plenty of women walking around the streets of Paris that had NO idea that they were breaking the law when they shimmied into their capri pants in the morning.

Image via flickr