Montana State Legislator Wants To Ban Yoga Pants

A lawmaker in Montana wants to outlaw yoga pants:

HELENA — A Montana lawmaker is seeking to strengthen the state’s indecent exposure law, stopping just short of his wish to outlaw yoga pants.

Rep. David Moore on Tuesday introduced House Bill 365 in the House Judiciary Committee in response to a group of naked bicyclists who rolled through Missoula in August.

The proposal would expand indecent exposure law to include any nipple exposure, including men’s, and any garment that “gives the appearance or simulates” a person’s buttocks, genitals, pelvic area or female nipple.

The Republican from Missoula said tight-fitting beige clothing could be considered indecent exposure under his proposal.

“Yoga pants should be illegal in public anyway,” Moore said after the hearing.

Moore said he wouldn’t have a problem with people being arrested for wearing provocative clothing but that he’d trust law enforcement officials to use their discretion. He couldn’t be sure whether police would act on that provision or if Montana residents would challenge it.

Well, I guess it’s good to hear that Montana is in such good shape that state legislators have the time to address things like this.

FILED UNDER: US Politics, ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. PJ says:

    See, Republicans in Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Tennessee were right! Sharia law is coming to the United States!
    First Republicans want to ban the appearance of nipples and genitals, then they want to ban the appearance of breasts, after that it’s ankles, and so on.
    It’s a slippery slope, and sooner or later American women are all going to have to wear burqas.

    The only thing that can save Montana is a Sharia law ban!

  2. Jenos Idanian #13 says:

    Banned, no. But regulated.

    Spandex is a privilege, not a right, and we need to institute some common-sense controls and impose some basic standards on who is allowed to wear yoga pants in public.

  3. Gustopher says:

    Well, I guess it’s good to hear that Montana is in such good shape that state legislators have the time to address things like this.

    If Montana were in better shape, he wouldn’t mind seeing Montanans in yoga pants…

  4. Moosebreath says:

    Love those small government Republicans!!!

  5. CET says:

    @Jenos Idanian #13:
    Banned, no. But regulated

    Well played sir.

    But seriously, this would be a 1st Amendment violation, right?

  6. JWH says:

    @Jenos Idanian #13:

    Spandex is a privilege, not a right, and we need to institute some common-sense controls and impose some basic standards on who is allowed to wear yoga pants in public.

    I submit the following in support of your argument.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTegy6sBQVA

  7. Jenos Idanian #13 says:

    @JWH: If you were looking for making “misuse of spandex” a capital offense, sir, you succeeded.

    That which has been seen cannot be unseen…

  8. JWH says:

    @Jenos Idanian #13:

    I find that video entertaining. I sometimes enjoy posting it in conservative forums with the sentence “Barack Obama doesn’t want you to watch THIS!!!”

  9. Tyrell says:

    @PJ: Sir, I am not a Republican. I do believe in traditional American family values and morality, both of which are under attack. I don’t see a problem with the spandex except that certain women certainly should not wear something like that out in public because of their shape . If a group of people want to parade around without any clothes, that is perfectly fine as long as is it done in private in their homes or in some motorcycle gang club or some place like that. I certainly would not want children exposed to that kind of filth. It is a sad day in this country when people are no longer shocked by such trashy behavior. It just shows how far down the drain morality and decency in this country have sunk. Certainly there should be laws against such behavior, resulting in fines and community service. Communities have the right to uphold certain standards of behavior as they see fit.

  10. Franklin says:

    Who said the following, Rep. Moore or the boss at Lululemon?
    “Frankly, some women’s bodies just don’t actually work [for the yoga pants].”

  11. Franklin says:

    By the way, I find the whole law confused. It bans males from showing their nipples, but only bans garments that simulates the appearance of female nipples? Other than my nipples a little smaller and hairier, I don’t know that there’s a true difference in appearance. That said, people would probably prefer to see a female nipple over mine.

  12. grumpy realist says:

    @Tyrell: If we’re going to ban women from wearing certain clothing because of their shape, can we do the same thing for men as well?

    My vote would be against tiny shorts so tight your junk is crawling out.

  13. Tyrell says:

    @grumpy realist: I will go along with that thought, but I am not in favor of yoga pants ban law, although I can see a business or school not allowing them , which many already do.

  14. Tillman says:

    @Jenos Idanian #13: @Jenos Idanian #13: Y’know, this whole “cadre of naked bicyclists” ruse is just that. Moore probably saw that video.

    @grumpy realist: The industry term for that is “bulge creep.”

  15. DrDaveT says:

    @Tyrell:

    I do believe in traditional American family values and morality

    Yes, but WHICH traditional American family values and morality? Pilgrim? Puritan? Quaker? Maryland Catholic? New Mexico Catholic? California Catholic? Baptist_1 (Roger Williams)? Baptist_2 (7th Day)? Baptist_3 (New Salem)? … Baptist_724? Mormon? Shaker? Mennonite? Deist? Freemason? Libertine? Plantation owner? Plantation owned?

    That you can assert that there is one true set of “traditional American family values and morality” marks you as either the snake oil salesman or his happy customer.

  16. C. Clavin says:

    @Tyrell:

    I am not a Republican.

    You just align yourself with all of their positions, and pray daily to Saint Ronnie.
    If it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck, it is probably a duck.

  17. BDM says:

    @Jenos Idanian #13:

    Are you implying that you agreeing with regulating clothing?@Tyrell:

    Are you seriously suggesting regulating what a person wears? If so have you ever considered moving to a country where you would feel more comfortable like Iran where your values might be more welcome. Women are required to cover themselves to your taste there.

  18. Tony W says:

    @BDM: I know right? The party of limited government has no problem imposing its morals and standards on the people, as long as those morals and standards do not help the environment, people of color or people with low incomes. The mind truly boggles.

  19. Tyrell says:

    @BDM: No, I would not favor laws regulating clothing. I do know that businesses and schools have dress codes, and in some cases there are good or legitimate reasons for that. I am in favor of enforcing laws addressing public nudity. People should have the right to travel and engage in their activities without them and children being exposed to public acts of lewdness. If people want to engage in lewd behavior they certainly have the right to do that in their own homes or some sort of club. I am not in favor of some sort of stict “sharia” type laws. Most communities have laws against public nudity.

  20. Jenos Idanian #13 says:

    @BDM: Lighten up, Francis.

  21. Neil Hudelson says:

    @Jenos Idanian #13:

    To be fair to BDM, I think he was commenting more on Tyrell’s comment. That said, you did get 7 downvotes for an entirely hilarious comment, so who knows anymore.

  22. Liberal Capitalist says:

    Looks like we may just need to go underground, but from the religious right moralists..

    Reminds me of a movie…

    ——————————————————————————–

    John Spartan: I guess you’re not a part of the *Cacteau Plan* are you?

    Edgar Friendly: What? Greed, deception, abuse of power? That’s no plan.

    John Spartan: That’s why everybody’s down here?

    Edgar Friendly: That’s right. You see, according to *Cacteau’s* plan. *I’m* the enemy. Because I like to think, I like to read. I’m into freedom of speech, freedom of choice. I’m the kind if guy who would sit in the greasy spoon and think “Gee, should I have the T-bone steak or the big rack of Barbecued spare ribs with the side order of gravy fries?” I *want* high cholesterol. I want to eat bacon, butter and buckets of cheese alright? I want to smoke a Cuban cigar the size of Cincinnati in a non-smoking section. I wanna run around naked with green jell-o all over my body reading a Playboy magazine. Why? Because maybe I feel the need to okay pal? I’ve *seen* the future, you know what it is. It’s made by a 47 year-old virgin in gray pajamas soaking in a bubble bath, drinking a broccoli milkshake and thinking “I’m an Oscar-Meyer Wiener”. You wanna live on top, you gotta live Cacteau’s way. What he wants, when he wants, how he wants. Your other option: come down here, maybe starve to death.

    John Spartan: Why don’t you take charge and lead these people out of here?

    Edgar Friendly: I’m no leader. I do what I have to do. Sometimes, people come with me. All I want to do is bury Cacteau up to his neck in shi# and make him think happy, happy thoughts forever.

    ——————

    Yep… Great old film. 🙂

    Makes me wonder why the “liberals” in the USA are looking more like the libertarians think that they actually are.

  23. James Pearce says:

    @Neil Hudelson: Seriously. In a more noble and kinder world, his comment would be yellow.

    Good one, Jenos.

  24. Trumwill says:

    @Gustopher: they might have a stupid legislator, but Montana has among the lowest obesity rates in the nation.

  25. Slugger says:

    In the interest of serving my country I am willing to undertake the dangerous task of being the official examiner of women’s posteriors. Do not thank me, Dolce et decorum est.

  26. Kari Q says:

    @Jenos Idanian #13:

    Okay, that comment made me laugh.

  27. HarvardLaw92 says:

    @Jenos Idanian #13:

    LOL, I see what you did there. Classic humor.

    Well played, sir …

  28. Mikey says:

    @Slugger:

    Dolce et decorum est.

    …pro posterior mori.

  29. J-Dub says:

    @Trumwill:

    Montana has among the lowest obesity rates in the nation

    “I don’t have to outrun the bear, I only need to outrun you”

  30. al-Ameda says:

    @Trumwill:

    @Gustopher: they might have a stupid legislator, but Montana has among the lowest obesity rates in the nation.

    … and we know this because we see all those beautiful women walking around in yoga pants.

  31. jewelbomb says:

    @Neil Hudelson: Maybe he got downvoted because making hack jokes about people who don’t conform to his (?) ideal body type not being able to wear whatever the hell they want is juvenile, unoriginal, and not very funny.

  32. Jenos Idanian #13 says:

    @jewelbomb: Lighten up, Frances.