In 1933, Marlene Dietrich was on the SS Europa ship, traveling to Paris. During the trip, the famous actress wore a white pantsuit. When the Paris police chief heard about it, he said that if she came to Paris wearing pants, she would be arrested. He wasn’t joking — since November 17, 1800, there had been a French law saying women couldn’t dress like men, especially by wearing trousers. In the early 1900s, women were allowed to wear pants only if they were riding a bike or a horse. But that old law wasn’t officially ended until January 31, 2013, by the French Minister for Women’s Rights, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem.

Still, Dietrich didn’t back down. After arriving in Cherbourg, she traveled to Paris wearing a tweed suit, a tie, a man’s coat, and sunglasses. When she got off the train at the Gare Saint-Lazare, she walked away calmly, with a policeman holding her arm.

And no, she wasn’t arrested.

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