When going through airport security screening, I always marvel at how much stuff comes out of the trouser pockets of an average male passenger—a mobile phone, wallet, loose change, a set of keys and so on.
But I am a woman, and I have to keep all my belongings in one bag for the metal detectors. That’s because pockets on women’s apparel are usually too small to be useful, or they may just be ornamental.
I became conscious of these things in January last year, when an airplane mishap at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport resulted in the emergency evacuation of all passengers.
According to reports, one passenger escaped with all valuables intact in the pockets. And that got me wishing dearly for clothes with roomy and functional pockets for when you aren’t allowed to take any bags in an emergency.
Hannah Carlson, who teaches dress history and material culture at the Rhode Island School of Design, says in her book “Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close” that her interest in pockets as a research subject was triggered by her personal experience of evacuating from a New York office building where she worked.
She recalls how her male colleagues had their phones and wallets in their suit pockets, but all women, including herself, found themselves in a quandary once they were out of the building.
According to her book, the “pocket disparity” in apparel started in the early 19th century. For men, suit pockets became standard while the apparel manufacture process underwent modernization.
But for women’s wear, manufacturers shunned pockets, deeming them “unattractive.”
Even after jeans and suits became popular among women, they were without functional pockets to keep the costs down, and their presence or absence remained at the mercy of fashion trends.
I imagine that many women will be starting to wear suits this spring. Although women’s clothes with pockets seem to be on the increase, they are still limited, and those with inside pockets are even rarer.
The more options there are, the better.
–The Asahi Shimbun, March 22
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
