How many things can you carry in one hand? A viral trend known as the “Girl Grip Challenge” has women testing just that, seeing how many everyday items they can hold at once and comparing their results with men. I tried the challenge myself and managed to fit 15 items in my hand. But watching women squeeze their belongings together raises a bigger question: why do we have to carry so much in our hands in the first place? The answer might have something to do with something many of us rarely think about: our pockets.
Believe it or not, women were not always dependent on handbags. In the 17th and 18th centuries, women commonly wore separate fabric pockets tied around their waists and hidden beneath their skirts. These pockets were surprisingly spacious, holding everything from keys and coins to handkerchiefs and sewing supplies. Unlike the sewn-in pockets commonly found in men’s clothing, women’s pockets were often separate pouches worn underneath their dresses.
Then fashion changed. During the late 18th century, dresses shifted toward slimmer silhouettes inspired by classical styles. The bulky pockets women had relied on became harder to conceal beneath these new designs, helping popularize small drawstring bags known as reticules. These bags allowed women to carry their belongings without disrupting the fashionable shape of their dresses. What started as a change in clothing design helped make carrying a separate bag an increasingly familiar part of women’s fashion.Â
Fast-forward to today, and the pocket debate is still alive. In 2018, journalists Jan Diehm and Amber Thomas investigated whether women’s pockets really were smaller than men’s. They measured 80 pairs of jeans from 20 popular U.S. brands, comparing men’s and women’s jeans with the same 32-inch waist size. Their findings? Women’s front pockets were, on average, 48% shorter and 6.5% narrower than men’s. Only 40% of the women’s front pockets they tested could fully fit one of three leading smartphone models. So, if your phone barely fits in your jeans, you are not imagining things!
And where does everything go when your pockets cannot hold it? Into a handbag, of course. Handbags have grown into a multibillion-dollar global industry, serving as everything from everyday necessities to luxury fashion statements. Limited pocket space did not create the entire handbag industry, but it raises an interesting question: when women’s clothing gives them less room to carry their belongings, how does that influence what they buy? Women should be able to enjoy a cute handbag because they want one, not feel like they need one just to carry their everyday essentials.
So, the next time a guy asks why you need to carry such a big bag, challenge him to carry your 15 items using only his pockets. See how quickly he starts asking for a bag of his own.