No matter where you live, I am sure that your city probably has some outdated and overlooked law that is comical by our standards today. For instance, in Mobile, Alabama a woman must have a permit to wear high heels. Also, in Las Cruces, New Mexico it is illegal to carry a lunch box down Main Street. Granted there are hilarious stories that probably explain the need for these additions to the law books, but it is a little frightening to know you could be punished since the law is still on the books.
I was completely unaware until today that it is still illegal for women to wear pants in Paris. It sounds bizarre considering the city's fashion forward persona. The law seems to have no real reason to exist. According to this article from the Telegraph, it was enacted by the city's Police chief in 1799. Now, the French could not just ban women from wearing pants at all, so women could apparently get written permission form the police if they could explain there motives for "dressing like a man." In 1892 the law was amended to allow women to wear trousers as long as they were riding a horse and holding the reigns. As the times changed and horses were used less for city travel, the law was modified again in 1902 to allow women to wear pants if they were riding bike. Since no one is getting locked up it is obvious that this law is not taken seriously, but it is ridiculous to keep such and archaic law on the books. President Nicolas Sarkozy is planning on urging parliament on reconsidering this outdated law.
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