PARLIAMENTARY DRESS

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 42, 19 February 1930, Page 13

PARLIAMENTARY DRESS

STYLES FOR WOMEN

In last week's issue of "Tho Western Mail" there appeared a picture of Dr. Marion Phillips, a member 6"f a prominent Melbourno .family, who was elected to the House of Commons' at 'the last election as a Labour representative for Sundcrland, says a writer in an Australian exchange. Dr. Phillips was wearing a uniform which she- has invented for women members, and which consists of a well-cut overall of thick crepo do chine, lined with bright silk, which buttons over her dress. When shown the picture in her office at the Trades Hall last week, Miss May Holnian, M.L.A., shook her .'boyish shinglo rather disdainfully. "Nobody expects men to wear a uniform in Parliament," she said. "They wear just what they like, so why shouldn't wo; men do the same? \Vhcn women go into Parliament they just go in as women. Apart from their party considerations, members aro just men and women, and there is no necessity to put themselves in uniform. -As far as lam concerned, I just wear what I feel like, and as a, matter of fact (speaking quite truthfully, but not quite seriously) I think tho men would prefer to sec women dressed in their ordinary women's attire father than in uniform. "Whenever I wear ' something that the men don't like," continued Miss1 llolman, ''they very quickly tell me so. If they do not like my hat or my dress, they do not hesitato to point out the discrepancies. And if I -wear a. frock that is longer than usual,. they say, 'You aro not bandy, so why the long dress?' " j. As she spoke, Miss Holnian was wearing a smart ivory crepe de chine sleeveless frock touched with red, and having the ('corsage embroidered in small eyelet holes. Asked if she would wear a similar frock to the House, she said, "Why,' yes. Whatever I happen to put on when I get up in the morning I wear. After all, one goes into Parliament to work, and there is no need to,, worry about what dress you are wearing. I have a sincere admiration for Dr. Marion Phillips," sho continued, "but there are moro serious things to think of than whether or not women shall bo marked out by uniforms. Au overall such as she advocates would not be at all suitable for us, for the largest part of our session is in summer' when wo want to dress as coolly as possible. In, England, where they rarely get any sunshine, this might bo a very useful dress, but even .then' I think that Dr. Phillips would havo to wear it on her own." • ■: Mrs. .Tamos Cowan, 0.8. E., tho first jvoman to enter an Australian Parliament, does not favour Dr. Marion Phillips's suggestion that women should wear uniform in .Parliament. "It certainly is not necessary for. women only to wear'a uniform, because by doing so they would be merely pandering to the sex-consciousness of the 'men. Personally I am of opinion', that no notice should be taken of the type of sex-con-scious man whom feminine dress affects, perhaps in a wrong way." Mrs. Cowan considers that if ■women are to wear uniform in Parliament, so should the men. She does not- think that dress has anything to do with the work that goes on in Parliament, and that women can do their work equally with the men regardless of their attire. "We should have had several women in every Parliament in Australia by now," she said, "and if it were not for the extraordinary undercurrent of feeling amongst certain . types of unthinking business men and in militaristic; circles against women, wo; would have had. However, I-feel sure that this form of s'ox-cbnsciousness. is on: tho wano and that the younger generation now coming 011 will be moro broadminded. ; "In Germany," continued Mrs. Cowan, "there are a great number of. women iv Parliament, and they are doing excellent work. I think that Germany is the one country at present that is benefiting specially by having used the influence of women in its Parliaments, as, suggested' by the late Benjamin Kidd, and we do not find that they consider it necessary'to' wear uniforms and thus accentuate a- sex consciousness that would be bound to follow unless both sexes wore uniforms. "Women do not wear uniforms on hospital and other committees where they work side by side', with "men, so why should they do so in Parliament? We should do everything possible to obliterate sex-consciousuess when dealing with tho real and bigger issues of life, and certainly to put women into uniform and not men would hardly lead to a satisfactory result. As long, as women do their, work well, what does it matter what they wear?"