- Ohio Rep Marcy Kaptur, 71, made her comments in a Democratic caucus meeting
- She said that ‘cleavage so deep it was down to the floor’ is ‘really an invitation’
- Kaptur suggested women on Capitol Hill should follow conservative dress codes
- Other colleauges at the meeting wer reportedly shocked at Kaptur’s comments
A congresswoman shocked colleagues after after she said in a closed-door meeting that the clothing worn by some House members and their staff invites sexual harassment.
Ohio Rep Marcy Kaptur, who has served since 1983, made her comments during a Democratic caucus meeting on Wednesday as the group talked about the ballooning sexual harassment scandal involving several male politicians.
‘I saw a member yesterday with her cleavage so deep it was down to the floor,’ 71-year-old Kaptur said, two insiders told Politico. ‘And what I’ve seen… it’s really an invitation.’
Ohio Rep Marcy Kaptur made her comments about the way women dress during a closed-door Democratic caucus meeting on Wednesday as the group discussed sexual harassment
Kaptur suggested that women on Capitol Hill should follow conservative dress codes like the ones adopted in the US Army.
‘Maybe I’ll get booed for saying this, but many companies and the military (have) a dress code,’ she said. ‘I have been appalled at some of the dress of…members and staff. Men have to wear ties and suits.’
The Toledo-area Democrat’s comments shocked colleagues in the room with nearly everyone’s mouths ‘wide open aghast’, insiders told Politico.
She backpedaled slightly after the outrage over her comments and released a statement clarifying what she meant.
‘When I was first elected to Congress my office and I became a refuge for female staffers who had been mistreated by their bosses,’ Kaptur said in a statement. ‘Some of them in tears many days.
Kaptur (center) suggested that women on Capitol Hill should follow conservative dress codes like the ones adopted in the US Army
‘It is something I carry with me to this day and something I brought up during our Caucus meeting. Under no circumstances is it the victim’s fault if they are harassed in any way.
‘I shared the stories from my time here in the context of the ‘Me Too’ legislation and how we can elevate the decorum and the dress code to protect women from what is a pervasive problem here and in society at large.’
Congress recently relaxed the dress code for female staffers over outrage that prohibited women from wearing sleeveless dresses.
Kaptur’s comments come a week after three congressmen – Democratic Sen Al Franken, Democratic Rep John Conyers and Republican Rep Trent Franks – resigned over sexual misconduct allegations.
A fourth representative, Ruben Kihuen, has also been accused of sexual harassment but has not stepped down.