Missouri Lawmaker Wants To Ban Seersucker Suits

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Apr 26, 2013 10:10PM



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A Missouri legislator really hates seersucker suits. State Sen. Ryan McKenna (D-Jefferson County) proposed an amendment to a bill funding Missouri's public institutions of higher education that would forbid anyone over the age of 8 from wearing a seersucker suit.

McKenna submitted the handwritten amendment, which states:

Any person living in this state aged 8 and under may wear seersucker suits at their leisure. Any person over the age of 8 living in this state may not wear seersucker suits because adults look ridiculous in seersucker suits, with the exception of Koolaid.

Ultimately McKenna decided to withdraw the amendment because "It probably wasn't germane to the bill" and "It was all in jest, anyway." And we don't understand that Koolaid reference either.

The joke was a jab at his coworkers, who have taken to wearing seersucker suits to work, and sometimes they even coordinate their outfits to wear them on Wednesdays. What is this, Mean Girls? McKenna admitted to the Riverfront Times that "children look adorable in seersuckers," including his own 3-year-old.

The Riverfront Times writes:

"I will not be bullied by the seersucker caucus," McKenna, a Democrat who represents parts of Jefferson County, says. "That's what this is about." The trend might be unstoppable, he concedes. "It's grown to maybe half the Senate, but there's a group of us that refuse. "They are getting stronger by the week with their bullying tactics," he adds.

Perhaps there's more to it. Esquire's fashion writer suggests, "Perhaps McKenna's aversion stems from the notion that seersucker is an anachronistic symbol of Southern gentility — a throwback to mint julep-swilling gentlemen chomping cigars at lawn parties held at sprawling estates."

There's one thing we all can agree on, though. Little kids look adorable in seersucker suits. Check out McKenna's handwritten amendment below.

Amendment Banning Seersucker Suits