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Bored Panda spoke to Roxanne, an expert in sewing and design, who doesn’t think that the lack of pockets has anything to do with politics or social reasons. Here's what she had to say: "I think women love pockets for the functionality. We don’t always want to carry things in our hands, especially our phones. When I wear a dress with pockets, my hands naturally gravitate toward the pocket. I’m not sure why. It’s just comfortable.”
She continued: “I think a lot of women’s clothing lack pockets for one simple reason: women have curves. When there is an opening at a stress point, such as at the hips, the fabric will naturally flare out. This is particularly evident in form-fitting clothing.”
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“There are several ways to solve the problem: redesign the garment with a looser fit, secure the fabric with a zipper or button closure, relocate the pocket, or, here’s the big one… redesign the pocket shape.”
Roxanne explained exactly how the pocket shape can be redesigned. “Shaping the opening into a slant or curve will allow the opening to wrap around the curve without resulting in bulging, excess fabric. This pocket style does change the original look of the garment, so the designer would ultimately decide if it works with their vision. I recently drafted a curved pocket pattern for a form fitting dress, demonstrating that it is possible!”
“I don’t think there is any political or social reason for the shortage of pockets. Most designers are trying to appeal to the desires of their target demographic, in this case, usually a slimming silhouette that doesn’t draw attention to areas many of us want to minimize. A meme is simply an entertaining way to celebrate a feature many of us adore: pockets!”
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After analyzing popular blue jeans brands in the United States, researchers found that women’s pockets are, on average, 48 percent shorter and 6.5 percent narrower than men’s. That means that a lot more stuff fits into men’s pockets than into women’s.
Some argue that this is ‘evidence’ of systematic sexism ingrained into our society; others state that men need bigger pockets to balance out not having handbags. While a third group of people thinks that we’re living in truly prosperous times and don’t have any real problems if we’re arguing about pockets.
According to Vox, the topic of pockets is not just about ‘sexism’—it’s about politics as well. Once upon a time, men and women used to carry bags with them.
But around the late 17th century, pockets became part of men’s clothing, while women kept using bags. Vox states that, eventually, a line of reasoning formed that men’s clothing is meant for ‘utility,’ while women’s clothes are meant for ‘beauty.’
What do you think about the lack of decent pockets in women’s clothes, dear Readers? What’s your favorite thing about pockets? Would you like to have a pair of pants made entirely out of pockets? Share your thoughts with everyone in the comments.
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