Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) quietly relaxed the informal dress code for the U.S. Senate. Enforced by the Sergeant at Arms, the existing policy required men on the floor of the Senate to be in coats and ties and women to be in business attire.
Under the new rules – which are believed to be an accommodation for Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and his penchant for shorts and sweatshirts – senators can wear whatever they wish, though staffers must continue to follow the old style guide.
All of this got Megyn thinking about what is ‘appropriate’ attire to wear in certain professions and settings, and it reminded her of a very, well, unique Christmas Eve service she attended with her husband Doug when they lived in New York City.
‘What’s Happening?!’
Back when Megyn and her family lived in New York, their apartment was across the street from a Methodist church. Megyn is Catholic, Doug is Presbyterian, and they are raising their kids Catholic, but one Christmas Eve they found themselves in a pinch. “Our kids were really little and we had a babysitter,” Megyn recalled. “She watched the kids, and we popped right over there for a quick service.”
Let’s just say it wasn’t like anything she or Doug had ever experienced at a religious ceremony. “This particular Methodist church – which is in the most liberal area of New York – was more like a variety show than it was a service,” Megyn explained. One person in particular stood out immediately. “This woman was coming down the aisle with spiky, colored hair and wearing a Santa hat,” she recalled. “I remember thinking that’s not really an appropriate outfit for Christmas Eve, but okay.”
Turns out, she was leading the whole service. “She was our minister,” Megyn said. “She went behind the lectern, and I was like, ‘What’s happening?!’”
All of this is to say, certain situations call for a certain level of respect and decorum, and legislating as a sitting U.S. senator – much like leading and/or attending Christmas services – is one of those situations. “They’re all going to look like schleps when they’re in there doing the people’s business,” Megyn concluded. “It’s disgraceful.”
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 631 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.