Sign Language: Catholic modesty
At all of the churches in Rome, and at the Vatican, signs were prominently displayed showing what to wear, and what not to wear. Although, I didn't see these rules being enforced at the Vatican Museum, and at St. Peter's Basilica, I only saw the "no bare shoulders" rule being enforced. There were plenty of knees on display at St. Peter's Basilica, thanks to miniskirts and hot pants. Maybe they were more lenient because the temperature was around 36 degrees Celsius (high 90s Fahrenheit).
Here you can see that specifically, cleavage and exposed belly buttons are strickly prohibited. I like how the Vatican bent gender stereotypes by coloring the man's clothes pink, and the woman's clothes yellow. It also shows the woman dressed in shorts and pants, not just a dress.
However on this sign, it shows that exposed belly buttons are expressly permitted...for women but not for men. I saw several of these signs, so it doesn't look like someone had tampered with this particular one.
This sign at Santa Maria del Popolo shows a human figure in true visual rhyme with a cell phone.
And the sign at the Pantheon used Microsoft Word clip art to show what was prohibited.
