QUESTION:
Is it illegal to wear bikini with the American Flag?
ANSWER:
Nope--the federal Flag Code is recommended etiquette but not legally binding.
SOURCES:
United States Code Title 4 Chapter 1-The Flag
Congressional Report- The United States Flag: Federal Law Relating to Display and Associated Questions
You'll see a lot of people waving our flag proudly for the fourth, lots of people wearing it too on shirts, pants, hats, even bathing suits.
But if social media is to be believed--people are claiming it's not only disrespectful to wear flag apparel, but illegal.
So is that true?
People who say it's illegal reference the federal Flag Code, 4 U.S. Code § 8, which outlines etiquette for Old Glory. It reads explicitly, 'the flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding or drapery."
But the federal code is a guideline of how the government says you should act, not how you must act.
"The Flag Code does not prescribe any penalties for non-compliance nor does it include enforcement provisions; rather the Code functions simply as a guide to be voluntarily followed by civilians and civilian groups," a Congressional Report says.
So it's not legally enforceable and there's no penalty.
So it's not illegal to wear the American flag as clothing.
But just because it's not illegal, doesn't mean it won't tick some people off. People have used the flag liberally--pants, leggings, socks, even bikinis and underwear.
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Janet Jackson
It’s eensy, it’s teensy, but honestly who can even look at the bikini because those abs are everything.
Alyson Hannigan, Tara Reid, Shannon Elizabeth and Mena Suvari
These were some of the most bodacious babes of the early 2000s and here they all are putting their own unique twist on the classic American bikini.
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