There have been countless days where I found that all I needed for the day was my phone and my wallet. Yet alas, I cannot be free-handed and I’d have to bring my small bag. Why? Because most of my jeans have pockets that can only be seen under a microscope. I’m kidding, but why do women’s jean pockets have to be so small that you can barely fit in a Chapstick? I’ve been curious how this came to be, and I found that fake pockets haven’t always been around.
During the Middle Ages, men and women both would have to carry pouches that were slung from a rope. However, in the 17th century, an idea spurred of sewing pouches into clothes that would allow people to hide the items they were carrying. Thus, the pocket was born.
Don’t get your hopes up—this is where the gender inequality part comes into play. Men’s pockets were easily accessible and sewn into the linings of their clothing. On the other hand, women’s pockets were separate from their clothes and hung underneath their petticoats. Therefore they would have to get undressed in order to access their belongings because they had multiple layers on.
In the 1790s, figure-hugging dresses kept being manufactured, and ultimately the pocket disappeared from women’s clothing to try and keep a clean line in the fabric. Women had to opt for small decorative bags that could barely fit anything, which led to men carrying their belongings for them. However, this is not where the story stops for the pocket phenomenon.
The 1800s brought the impact of the Rational Dress Society, who fought for women’s clothing to be more functional. It also brought a popularity for instruction manuals on how to sew pockets into clothes, forwarding the women’s seek for independence.
During World War II, pockets became normalized as women were encouraged to wear trousers and practical clothing as they entered the workforce. Despite the fact that women’s pockets were getting on the same level as men’s pockets during this time period, the post-war period emphasized ultra-femininity, and women’s pockets were back to square one.
The modern fashion industry has been getting fishy with how they deal with women’s jean pockets. According to research done by Pudding, who analyzed the pockets of 80 pairs of average jeans, pockets in women’s jeans are 48% shorter and 6.5% narrower than men’s pockets. Pudding also found that less than half of women’s front pockets can fit a wallet specifically designed to fit in front pockets.
There has been progress with pockets for women today, seen with many celebrities on the red carpet wearing dresses with pockets. Sadly this concept doesn’t trickle down to the average women’s jeans. In today’s digital age, women’s pockets are in high demand because of our desire for our pockets to fit our phones. The iPhone isn’t getting any smaller from here, and our pockets aren’t getting any bigger either.
So how do we solve this issue? It may have to do with the cost of pockets being sewn on or it may be the dominance of the handbag industry, but ultimately it comes down to the demand for convenience in our clothing. Now let’s ask this question to the fashion industry: how long will it take for us to get larger pockets in our jeans before we get equal pay?