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If Yoga Pants Become Illegal Then Men Should Keep Their Shirts On

DENVER (CBS4) - Amid all of the women's rights issues and persistent gaps in gender equality, yoga pants remain one of the true freedoms of femininity that can unite us all. And a Montana lawmaker wants to make them illegal.

Proposed by a man -- no surprise here -- House Bill 365 would expand the definition of indecent exposure to include clothing that is essentially too tight. Specifically: those that give away the appearance of a person's buttocks, genitals, pelvis or female nipple.

So, if you wore yoga pants in public it would actually be against the law. Rep. David Moore from Missoula, MT who introduced the bill said he would be just fine with that. Provocative clothing such as tight-fitting beige garments do in fact warrant an arrest, in his opinion.

The problem, or rather, one of the many problems, is that this specifically targets women. Yoga pants are our version of men's comfortable baggy sweatpants. And what is a woman without her relaxation? The pressures of professional performance, motherhood, relationships, and finances at the least deserve the reward of yoga pants. To take away that simplest of life's joys would send us back to the sexist 1970s.

It's also a bit insulting to insist women wear something more modest than yoga pants. Not every man looks acceptable going for a run with his shirt off, and yet it's perfectly legal. In a country of supposed equality, both sides need to be considered.

In his defense, Moore and a professor drafted the bill after some residents were outraged by last year's Bare as you Dare bicycle event -- naked bicycling through town.

Fortunately, members of the House Judiciary Committee giggled before voting unanimously to shelve the bill.

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