All we want for Christmas is for women's clothes to have pockets
By Florenne Earle Ledger published 18/12/2023
As it gets a little colder, we’re piling on the layers and realising that most of our blazers and jackets don’t have pockets. They’re either non-existent, fake, or so small that they’re completely pointless.
Today we’re asking: how does a lack of pockets on women’s clothes impact how we dress? This is more topical in winter, as our jackets and jumpers are thick enough to facilitate pockets, unlike lighter and smaller pieces of clothing we reach for in the summer months.
As you’re likely aware, womens clothes not having pockets is synonymous with their lack of autonomy throughout history.
Here’s a brief rundown of women’s pockets to date:
A brief history of women's pockets
In the middle ages men and women carried things around in little pouches with string. When pockets were invented they were designed to keep personal belongings close to your body. As women had lots of undergarments on, it was rarely practical for them to use their pockets in public spaces (as they would have to undress), unless they had a dress with splits, specially designed to make it easier for women to access their pockets.
By the Victorian times, most men (though not all) controlled their wives’ money on behalf of both of them, so women didn’t really need pockets as they didn’t own much to take out with them. Fast forward to the 2000/2010s, skinny jeans and slim jackets are all the rage, meaning there’s not really a place for pockets in new clothing designs.
Basically, women's clothes don’t have pockets because it was believed there was no need for them, especially when housewives were at home most of the time anyway. Later on it became a stylistic choice for women's clothes not to have pockets, as it didn’t match the slim fitting clothes that were trending.
Some believe that the handbag industry also plays into the lack of pockets in women's clothes. More pockets means people don't have as many reasons to buy a bag, reducing the profits for handbag designers. Whilst it's not historically proven, it's an interesting theory.
Why do we care?
Besides the obvious gender inequality and the fact that a lack of pockets represents sexist ideals from the past, it also impacts how women dress (without us really realising).
We’re all about buying clothes to last that you get a lot of wear out of, but if something is less practical (e.g has no pockets) how likely are you to reach for it compared to something that’s both stylish and practical? A lack of pockets is more than just a bit annoying, it also means women are buying clothes that can’t fully serve their purpose, so we get less wear out of them which has a negative impact on the environment.
If you don’t have pockets and you need to take a bag, how does the bag change your outfit? It could make it look quite different, or be annoying to carry when you don’t need to take much. It’s not that deep, but it does change your outfit and gives you another thing to think about when you could just put your phone, purse and keys in your pockets if they were big enough.
Not to make a mountain out of a molehill, but this is reminding me of The Beauty Myth, where Naomi Wolf highlights that the pay gap between men and women exists not only in our actual wages, but in what women have to buy to make themselves beautiful in the eyes of society. This is the same kind of thing as women having to buy bags to carry their possessions, or have multiple coats for different occasions if they *need* one with pockets, when they could spend less money if their clothes facilitated their needs. The lack of pockets in itself doesn't seem like much, but it’s interesting to break it down.
It doesn’t stop with clothes. The small and fake pocket era is spreading to the handbag industry. Think about the tiny bags (though we love them) by Jacquemus that can barely fit anything in. It’s like buying a fake pocket, but it’s a bag. If women’s clothes had pockets and fake ones didn’t exist, would we see this trend replicated in our accessories?
In the spirit of food for thought, if you want to explore how the lack of pockets impacts your styling choices, follow the exercise below:
Get experimental
Have a look through your wardrobe and split your clothes into two piles: those with and without pockets.
From here, set aside the ones that you wish had pockets vs those that don’t have them/don’t need them. Looking at the piles, think about the following:
- Do you wear any of the items without pockets less because they don’t have pockets?
- Would pockets change how the item looks/fits?
- If pockets would make it look worse, would you rather not have them?
- How many of your clothes have fake pockets? How many times have you found it annoying that you can’t actually use them?
- Would you be more likely to buy something if it had pockets?
- Look out for how pockets differ on male clothing and see for yourself.
It’s a lot easier to do the above exercise if you’ve digitised your wardrobe. Click here or press the button below to view your items and get sorting right now.
Let us know your findings on our Instagram or Twitter @Whering__.
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