For many women, discovering a dress with pockets feels like a small victory. From Dua Lipa’s pocketed Chanel gown at the 2023 Met Gala to Emma Stone stuffing popcorn into her Louis Vuitton dress at SNL’s anniversary, usable pockets in womenswear are rare enough to spark excitement. Yet while men’s clothing is routinely designed with spacious pockets, women’s garments—from jeans with faux seams to blazers with decorative flaps—often prioritize form over function.
The disparity isn’t just frustrating; it’s rooted in centuries of gendered design, says Hannah Carlson, a lecturer at the Rhode Island School of Design and author of Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close. “Women have been ‘differently pocketed’ since the beginning,” she told CNN. “It’s a symbol of inequality we’ve normalized.”
A History of Exclusion
Pockets emerged in the 1550s as drawstring bags sewn into men’s breeches. As tailoring advanced, men’s suits incorporated functional pockets for tools like knives and watches—items associated with resourcefulness and masculinity. Women, meanwhile, relied on tie-on pouches or tiny, impractical pockets hidden in bustles. When 18th-century female equestrians adopted coats with pockets, they were mocked as “Amazons” for encroaching on male sartorial territory.
“Carrying belongings was seen as unfeminine,” Carlson explained. Caricaturists compared women’s external pockets to genitalia, while literature ridiculed their contents. Even in the 1940s, Women’s Army Corps uniforms included faux pockets and mandatory purses to maintain femininity. “Designers couldn’t fathom a functional pocket for women,” Carlson noted.
Modern Pockets, Old Biases
Though 20th-century feminism helped popularize pants and pockets for women, disparities persist. A 2018 study by The Pudding found women’s jeans pockets were up to 48% shorter than men’s, often unable to fit a smartphone. Fast fashion exacerbates the issue, with brands skipping pockets to cut costs. “The industry assumes women will carry bags,” Carlson said.
Designers also argue pockets disrupt sleek silhouettes—a priority rarely imposed on men. While cargo pants and runway designs occasionally celebrate pockets, their scarcity keeps them a novelty. As Carlson puts it: “Fit over utility remains the unspoken rule.”
For women, the pocket gap is more than an inconvenience; it’s a lingering vestige of patriarchal design. Until utility outweighs outdated ideals, the hunt for the elusive pocket—and the cheer when one is found—will continue.
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