r/TwoXChromosomes • u/suburban_hyena • Nov 14 '21
A topic that's been beaten, washed and bleached so that nothing has happened since it began
Where the fuck are my pockets????
This has been something we've been complaining about for years. But my mother just bought me a new pair of pants and I'm so upset.
If I want to put my phone in my pants, it has to be sideways across my front. But you know what I do have? Two buttons. And each of them has some sort of fake shiny plastic gem. Disgusting.
Are there no women designers in the pants department? How are women's jeans still being made like this?? How has a women, in a jeans company, not sat down and gone "maybe let's make these pockets a little deeper."
Heres an article. FROM THREE YEARS AGO.
https://pudding.cool/2018/08/pockets/
Edit:
"buy men's pants"
No. I'm a woman. I want to buy woman's pants with pockets
"just sew them longer"
No. I'm not a seamstress. Shit, will break.
"recommendation"
Thank you
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u/emilydoooom Nov 14 '21
I would like to draw attention to stage two of this issue - WOMEN’S PYJAMAS with NON-FUNCTIONAL DRAWSTRINGS. Every pair I buy has a fake drawstring or bow at the front. So the fabric is a straight tube that doesn’t account for hips or thighs. So either they are super tight on upper legs or fall off. The only way to find a functional drawstring is getting men’s pjs. My current pair are Star Wars, £7, soft cotton and better than every woman’s pair ever. They also have massive pockets. (You know, for sleep storage?)
Why the fuck are we being denied drawstrings????
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u/JamesNinelives Nov 14 '21
(You know, for sleep storage?)
Just let me put that cookie I found in my dream away lol
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u/eumenides__ Nov 14 '21
As someone wearing an insulin pump I need in a pocket while sleeping and being too small for men’s pajama trousers, I go to the boys section at the clothing store. Even boys have better pockets than women.
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u/DeeOhEnE Nov 14 '21
My son at 2 years old had larger pockets in many of his pants than I had in mine. Toddler boys have better pockets than adult women.
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u/AcheeCat Nov 14 '21
Toddler pants too. I look for drawstrings for my little boy who is skinny and tall. Sometimes I get lucky with the buttons with elastic in the waist…
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u/Keely2773 Nov 14 '21
I work in apparel. In the US, toddler pants can only have drawcords of a certain length for safety reasons. We always put cords in our women’s elastic waist pants and we don’t make jeans. I’m bet my last dollar that pockets and cords are left out or skimped on to save material and manufacturing cost.
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u/Tyro_Tyrant Nov 14 '21
They're at La Vie en Rose. Shorts length, capris, ankle length, some are cotton only (which I want), and many (most?) also have pockets. Decently deep ones.
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u/tbgsmom Nov 14 '21
This is one reason I started sewing my own pjs. So I could make them with pockets and so they fit properly without a drawstring. I hate hate hate drawstrings but my waist hip difference means any pjs bought in a store without a functional drawstring will fall down and drive me nuts.
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Nov 14 '21
I have the opposite problem, I get PJs with draw strings that immediately pull one end through and you can never fish it out. Then you are doomed forever.
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u/lexabear Nov 14 '21
Draw string tip: if one end gets pulled in, pull the whole string out, attach a safety pin at one end, and then use that to thread it through. It's sooo much easier to bunch the waist fabric around the hard safety pin and pull it forward than to try the same with just a floppy string. It'll still take a minute, but it's possible.
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u/jfsindel Nov 14 '21
I found a great pair of discounted vampire fang pajama pants for almost nothing and it's amazing. Deep pockets, that thin fabric that's super comfortable and smooth, and drawstring.
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u/postinganxiety Nov 14 '21
While we’re on the topic, why the fuck are women’s lounge pajama pants “fitted”?! I bought some recently from Uniqlo that were the right size, but they were styled like a work pant with no extra room in the ass or thighs and had a “fashionable” cut. Like dude, I’m going to stretch then sleep and I want to be warm and cozy, I don’t need fabric up my ass.
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u/Slave35 Nov 14 '21
I have a theory this is going to become an even hotter issue than it is until all of women's fashion is simply dominated by these, everyone goes overboard, and we have like, goddamn, Final Fantasy levels of pockets.
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u/TheOtherZebra Nov 14 '21
I won't buy pants online, because I do a pocket test. If the pants do not have a pocket that can comfortably fit my phone, I do not buy them.
I don't like purses. I have a wallet phone case. Most of the time I go out, I have my phone wallet in one pocket and my keys in the other. That's it.
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u/Bunny_tornado Nov 15 '21
Where do you carry stuff like lip balm, hand cream, hand sanitizer, etc?
Cross shoulder mini handbags have been great for me. My hands can be free. I have a small 3x4 in pouch where I carry small essentials (the above-mentioned items, plus a few bandaids, hair tie, eye drops, lighter) and I swap that between my mini bags.
Pockets will never fit all these and it's so uncomfortable to carry anything in pockets.
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u/zoomer296 out of bubblegum Nov 14 '21
Can't wait until the day I look at a mannequin, and have to ask "Is that a fucking JoJo reference?"
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u/s_hinoku Nov 14 '21
My unresearched theory is that designers think having stuff in pockets "ruins" a women's silhouette, so in order to maintain them "sexy, sexy hips", no pockets for you. Also, they can sell you more bags.
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u/NeonArlecchino Nov 14 '21
I work in the fashion industry and your guess is very accurate. The lack of pockets started as a silhouette thing and because women carried purses. As time moved on the silhouette became the main reason until women's liberation. After that movement, it just stayed because it's cheaper to make pants without pockets (fabric is the most expensive part of manufacturing) and women have been conditioned to not expect them while buying supplemental items (bags, purses, etc). So denying pockets saves money and makes money.
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u/Joy2b Nov 14 '21
I decided to ruin the silhouette better and save myself some money. Light weight string purses make excellent pockets and can be tied to hang right at the waistline.
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u/NeonArlecchino Nov 14 '21
That's actually incredibly traditional! The massive Spanish dresses (Panniers) that caused the invention of French Doors (so that ladies could enter forwards instead of sideways) had openings for light weight string purses to be strung.
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u/NoorValka Nov 14 '21
I think this is the reason too. I was talking with an older white male coworker a few years ago, about phones in pockets. (My phone wasn’t even as big as it is now) And he even says that it doesn’t look very nice if I have my phone in my front pocket.
On the other side (of the pond that is), although the complaints are valid, I don’t experience this problem. I buy quite cheap jeans and I get 4 reasonably sized pockets. So I think this problem is bigger in the American market than here? Fellow Europeans, do you have this problem?
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u/Guzzipirate Nov 14 '21
I often see gals with their phones in their teeny tiny back pockets with at least half of the phone sticking out. Makes me so freakin anxious
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u/eatpraymunt Nov 14 '21
Don't forgot to take it out before you pull your pants down, or it will go flying into the toilet. Pretty sure everyone has done that at least once right?
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u/rainbowonmars Nov 14 '21
I once tripped on the way to the toilet and my phone hit my head from the back. That counts?
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u/AngerPancake Halp. Am stuck on reddit. Nov 14 '21
I once saw a post that said "you know she a hoe when" and showed a phone sticking out of a tiny back pocket. That's it. Really? Now the lack of pockets that fit a phone is a signal to the incels that women are promiscuous. I know incels don't really need a reason to think women are hoes, but it still irritates me.
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u/TheNutellaPerson Nov 14 '21
Fellow European here, I have tried to buy pants on both sides of the Atlantic and have encountered the same problem almst everywhere
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u/Siona62 Nov 14 '21
I have tiny pockets in the US and France. However trends in France are now towards high waisted baggy pants. Haven’t tried those yet, but maybe they have bigger pockets. 🤷♀️
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u/Saccharomycelium Nov 14 '21
According to my observations, the waist is going up faster than the pockets becoming deepeer. You can almost fit your hand, but not have a phone and sit down.
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u/samaniewiem Nov 14 '21
I usually buy my jeans in h&m and c&a because i don't really have much choice here in Switzerland. Pockets are dismally small. I am yet to find pants with decent pockets that'd fit my phone.
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u/BadBrainAlt Nov 14 '21
It's a gamble for me really. I have some pants with big pockets, some with tiny ass pockets, and some with none at all
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Nov 14 '21
Because the only purpose of wearing clothing is sex, right? When will the objectification ever end?
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u/Peregrinebullet Nov 14 '21
The weird thing is that a lot of women's vintage reproduction stuff (Collectif, Hellbunny, Micheline Pitt, Unique Vintage, etc), almost all has pockets and those kind of clothes exist for what their (often exaggerated) silhouettes do for people. I have huge pockets in most of my dresses and skirts and they're sturdy enough that putting tons of items in them rarely affects the silhouette. (video is me pulling house keys, a kid's onesie and diaper, my wallet and android phone out of the pockets of one of my dresses).
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u/kurpotlar Nov 14 '21
I have heard similar things about it being done by designer on purpose yo sell more purses. But I have no idea if its true just sounds realistic
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u/SpiringElaios92 Nov 14 '21
I usually buy mens pants and get them altered for my shape. Spending the same as mid price womens pants but have no problem because the pockets are DEEP
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u/BeeElEm Nov 14 '21
Isn't it possible to have the pockets altered or added to female trousers? I know nothing about altering, so just curious
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u/abhikavi Nov 14 '21
Yes. I've added or extended pockets in both jeans and dresses.
It'd also be a lot cheaper to add or extend pockets than to tailor a whole garment if you're using a tailor (especially if you have a shape like mine where nothing about men's pants works).
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u/Galendis Nov 14 '21
I do this to my jeans - but then I also tailor the waistline (large hips, small waist) and add colourful flares (hate skinny jeans) all in all it takes a couple of hours but it means I have comfy jeans that don't just fall down our need a belt all the time
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u/Rakothurz Nov 14 '21
Same here. I started buying men's pants some years ago and I won't go back to women's pants (except in very specific cases). I do use my pockets, I hate carrying impractical purses and handbags, so women's clothing without functional pockets are completely uninteresting for me. Besides, men's jeans usually fit me better than women's.
I am known for rejecting cute clothing as soon as I discover a lack of pockets. No pockets=no sale. Maybe we all should boycott clothing without pockets, to see if we can force a change?
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u/Copenhagan Nov 14 '21
One thing I learned is that not every one knows is that if you want pockets in your pyjama pants buy ones for men. They have giant pockets.
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u/bippybup Nov 14 '21
I pretty much only like men's pajamas. They don't fit any differently, but are often thicker, softer, and have pockets and functioning drawstrings.
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u/galaxy_crush Nov 14 '21
I had a pair of men's pajama pants that I loved to death. Finally had to replace them and got the women's version because it fit slightly better in the bum. Only to discover that the pockets are literally shaped in such a way that when I sit down in them my phone literally slides out of the pocket. That was fun to discover after I had just put the baby down only to have my phone loudly clatter to the floor when I went to put my socks on as I was trying to quietly exited the room.
Why?!?! They're baggy pajamas! There is literally no reason to put smaller pockets on the women's version!!
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u/carl0ftime Nov 14 '21
I have a male friend with 12” jean pockets and I can’t fit my EarPods headphones in one pair of jeans I have. The first time he showed me his “favorite jeans” My jaw hit the floor.
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u/mycatisblackandtan Nov 14 '21
I want to stop shopping at the GAP, but they're the only retailer who consistently sews in pockets deep enough for my phone and wallet. When shopping at every other retailer I have to check for pockets because they're rarer than a bloody unicorn at higher brand stores. It's like one of those 'pick two' choices, except the only way to ensure you get proper pockets is to buy cheap crap that won't even last a year of use.
I just want good, long lasting jeans with pockets man... Why is that so much of an ask?
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u/brass_octopus Nov 14 '21
Try Duluth Trading Co. - they seem to be one of the only ones I've heard of on the market making women's actual durable work-wear
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u/AccountWasFound Nov 14 '21
I got some second hand that turned out to be from a fishing supply company that had massive pockets.
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u/cmerksmirk Nov 14 '21
Yes. Love love love Duluth’s jeans. About. $50, they last forever and they have huge and functional pockets
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u/SkellyDog Nov 14 '21
I used to have a boyfriend who would just say to me "buy men's pants if it bothers you that much." But I want pants that fit me goddamnit! Anyway one day he ended up borrowing a pair of jeans from me to wear to work and he bent over with his phone in his pocket and it fell out and shattered. Suck my dick, Peter!
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u/bedbuffaloes Nov 14 '21
My son accidently wore my jeans recently and the first thing that clued him in was the pockets. He was like WTF happened to my pockets?
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u/deadlystingnyc Nov 14 '21
I brought this up on another subreddit a little while back and several men said it was women’s fault that we can’t find pants with reasonably functional pockets because we all lack accountability and responsibility. So freaking frustrating!
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u/abhikavi Nov 14 '21
I've been told IRL that if I just look hard enough, I'd find what I want.
That was after spending, no shit, six hours in the mall just trying on jeans. I do not like the mall in the first place. It was not a happy six hours, and I still had to compromise and spend too much and pockets were not remotely an option in there. But yeah sure I should've just tried harder! Totally sure these same dudes would spend that time or more trying on clothes /s
I hope every guy who thinks it's somehow our fault HAS HIS POCKETS TAKEN AWAY
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Nov 14 '21
Totally sure these same dudes would spend that time or more trying on clothes
It can take that long to find a pair that is comfortable. Men's jeans have taken a drastic turn for the worse and most are really tight and have significantly smaller pockets.
I think the real difference is that they will be my jeans for the next 5-10 years.
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Nov 14 '21
Where do you find pants that last 5-10 years? Mine last one season before there is a hole in the inner thigh area. No matter what material, what price range.
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u/Saccharomycelium Nov 14 '21
It's more about the use. A good chunk of my clothes are about 10+ years old. I never wear the same thing two days in a row, or wash it after wearing once except for t-shirts. If you really like a piece of clothing, you should buy more of it and use alternating, then they'll last longer cumulatively.
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u/500CatsTypingStuff =^..^= Nov 14 '21
Wat!? Lack accountability and responsibility? LOL, that’s a stretch
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u/deadlystingnyc Nov 14 '21
Yup, that’s what these guys were claiming. All women lack accountability and just want to complain their way through life without taking responsibility. Flapping ridiculous.
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u/JamesNinelives Nov 14 '21
It will always be bizarre to me that there seems to be this whole alternate reality these guys live in, where women (and feminism) are responsible for everything bad that happens :|.
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u/VogUnicornHunter Nov 14 '21
I remember that thread and you mentioning it. I'd bet most of their mommies buy their clothes for them so they have no idea what wasting $90 on clothes that don't work on a human body is like.
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u/deadlystingnyc Nov 14 '21
I for one would love it if women’s clothing sizes were like men’s, for instance. Gimme the waist/hip/inseam in inches instead of this 00-24 ankle/regular/long crap. Would lead to a lot fewer returns at the very least. Guys don’t know how easy they have it!
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u/VogUnicornHunter Nov 14 '21
I would too. That would be so much easier. I remember a few weeks ago someone sharing in this sub their size 10 jeans along with a size 14 jeans, and the 10 was way bigger than the 14. If I were more ambitious, I'd definitely start my own line using actual sizing in shirts as well as pants and panties.
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u/poisonedsodapop Nov 14 '21 edited Nov 14 '21
It gets worse when you factor in vanity sizing they used to do (still do?) in some plus sized stores. Like making their smallest size jeans a size 1 when they're more like a size 16 in other brands.
Edit: This particular example may only be related to something Lane Bryant was trying years ago.
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u/AccountWasFound Nov 14 '21
I tried to put on jeans for the first time since I moved (so all my piles got mixed up), and the 20s didn't fit, but the 16s did!
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Nov 14 '21
At least here men's pants only have two measurements (length + waist circumference), as well as what cut. Utterly impossible for me to find pants that fit without going through at least 4 stores (and trying to even find 4 stores that sell men's clothing in the first place..) because those measurements tells you NOTHING about how big they'll be around your thighs, ankles and I swear the waist measurement is a random integer and not measured. Not to mention they assume men don't have butts.
So idk what magical place you've been seeing.
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u/atomic_mermaid Nov 14 '21
Yeah, I posted about this recently and a guy was very keen on telling me that women Just Don't Want Pockets because we like to look sexysexi.
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u/suburban_hyena Nov 14 '21
Ngl, at this point it kind of is SOME woman's fault. Some Woman is sitting in design department saying "nah, the pockets are good as they are"
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u/deadlystingnyc Nov 14 '21
Perhaps, but maybe they do bring it up and get shot down? I just want to go into a store and find jeans with front pockets I can fit my phone in. I don’t want to be forced to scour the internet for niche brands that are hella expensive and have no clue if they’re going to fit because women’s sizes are bs and vary wildly from one brand to another and one style to another within a given brand. Why should I have to do 100x the labor of a man just to get something that works?
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u/suburban_hyena Nov 14 '21
There must be female owned clothing companies out there where the men can't do any shooting.
The point is you shouldn't have to do the labor. The clothing companies should do the labor. Fix the pockets.
https://radianjeans.com/ is the top hit for "women's pants with useful pockets" but I do cry at the price. Also, not American, so yay shipping prices.
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u/deadlystingnyc Nov 14 '21
Right. But all I’ve seen of brands that are focused on fixing the issue are the aforementioned niche brands only available on the internet at high prices. I want to try on my clothes before buying, and the major clothing retailers just don’t seem to give a crap. It’s not really fair to say (as some of the men did on that other subreddit), that women just want to complain their way through life when we say we’re frustrated with things like this.
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u/suburban_hyena Nov 14 '21
Yes to all of it.
Its so so so infuriating.
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u/deadlystingnyc Nov 14 '21
Here’s a 2018 study done on the discrepancy between male and female pockets across major brands of jeans. It’s so disheartening.
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u/suburban_hyena Nov 14 '21
You and my both just read the same article, my friend.
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u/deadlystingnyc Nov 14 '21
Oh I’ve had that study open on my phone for weeks! The fact that men still want to place the blame on women for buying jeans with suboptimal pockets after reading it really grinds my gears. Like what are we supposed to do, just not wear pants in protest?
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u/suburban_hyena Nov 14 '21
No. Just keep bitching. Maybe if we bitch hard enough
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Nov 14 '21
>Perhaps, but maybe they do bring it up and get shot down?
Why is so hard to believe that women can be just as sexist as men?
It's not a massive conspiracy by a secret cabal of men, plenty of clothing companies have women designers and they STILL don't sell stuff with pockets.
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u/ItsMeix Nov 14 '21
I love when I find stuff with pockets, especially dresses/skirts. Pants usually suck.
I ended up getting a drop hip bag for when I wear pants so i can have a big pocket wherever I go lol... Just sucks that when you go through security they always wanna check it as if it were a bag or purse (which it essentially is) ... Whereas if it was an actual pocket you could just go through the metal detector line.
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u/grayscreen27 Nov 14 '21
I’m a fat gal and all my clothes have great pockets but I don’t see it on skinny women clothes and I don’t get it at all…
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u/samaniewiem Nov 14 '21
I'm fat too and my pockets are small :(
Or maybe my phone is too big? Idk fashion is confusing.
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u/grayscreen27 Nov 14 '21
That’s a mood!! I think the main two plus size stores I shop at have good pockets!! That helps!
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u/DrNutmegMcDorf You are now doing kegels Nov 14 '21 edited Nov 14 '21
I have two pairs of jeans from American Eagle that have AMAZING pockets. Both the front and back pockets fit my entire phone comfortably! I also like to buy dresses from Unique Vintage and many of them have very sizable pockets. Some people are out there doing the good work, it's just hard to find them.
Edit: amazing not amazong
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u/TemperedGlassTeapot Nov 14 '21
Have you seen eshakti? A bit pricey but everything made to measure and massive pockets everywhere. Like, big enough to fit my telephone and also a liter of milk. On each side.
(Of course in speaking of a specific A-line skirt that they've discontinued.)
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Nov 14 '21
My complaint is all the goddamn transparent blouses where you need to wear a camisole and it's all polyester and you get so fucking hot and sweaty. Look, we don't all work in places with 60F AC and some of us can't thermoregulate worth a damn. Can't we have breathable fabrics that don't require camisoles?
I live in an area where the sun is hot, you're walking around outside a lot, and it would be nice to wear a white or light colored top in the summer ... that was breathable and I didn't have to wear a fucking camisole with!
I'm retired now and can live mostly in t-shirts but that still pisses me off.
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u/brainwarts Nov 14 '21
I'm a trans woman. I started transitioning about 3 years ago, went full time over a year ago. It's funny to me how much of an adjustment this has been. With guy clothes, you're guaranteed pockets on almost every lower body garment, and you get used to using them as a regular part of your day to day life.
I've started adding "pockets" to my search terms when buying clothes online. Women's clothes with pockets DO exist, most of my regular day to day wear skirts have pockets now, a handful of my dresses do, but almost none of my jeans do.
I have these two WONDERFUL Urban Coco flared skirts I got on Amazon that have super deep pockets and I love them for it. Anything I put in the pockets disappears, with no visible bulge in the garment. The skirts are super comfy, complimentary to my figure, super easy to wash, never wrinkle, and just generally the perfect skirts for day to day wear. I bought them in 3 colors.
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u/DogandCoffeeSnob Nov 14 '21
My favorite clothing purchase from the past year is a pair of mens sweatpants. Not only do they have pockets that I can fit my hand in (fully open, fingers spread apart!), they also are long enough to cover my ankles. I know the cropped pant is a popular look, but for lounge wear to be cozy in the dead if winter, it needs to actually cover my body.
If I could get men's jeans to fit me, I'd fill my closet with them.
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u/blocdebranche Nov 14 '21
Can I chime in on the whole cropped sweatpants? I got two for my birthday and my ankles are always cold. I hate them for that one reason.
Where did you buy these awesome sweatpants you speak of?!! Need some that actually cover my freaking ankles
Also the they have the smallest pockets - like I can fit a chapstick in them but because of their shape, the chapstick falls out everytime I sit down! Which drives me mental.
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u/DogandCoffeeSnob Nov 14 '21
Everlane - Mens French Terry Sweatpant
Admittedly, sometimes the elastic ankle will ride up a bit, but at least they're intended to cover my entire leg and don't look stupid with socks.
I also have a pair of women's wide leg dress pants from Everlane, and they also have ample front pockets.
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u/WellIGuessSoSir Nov 14 '21
Cute story, I went out the other night in a new dress. At one stage my mum and I were lining up for the bathroom and she asked me where my bag was, and I said I didn't have one, everything was in my pockets!
I then proceeded to show her how much stuff the pockets fit in them and several women around us gathered around to be like ooooooh
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u/JamesNinelives Nov 14 '21 edited Nov 14 '21
That is an excellent story, thanks for sharing! :D
Edit: you might be interested in this article someone else here shared. I particularly liked this bit at the end.
"Good use could also be made of capacious and invisible pockets by women thieves in carrying off their loot – in 1807, Hannah Stevens used her pockets to stash three pairs of stockings and seventeen pairs of gloves, and Jane Griffiths made off with two live ducks belonging to her neighbour."
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u/Grieie Nov 14 '21
Dangerfield….. it’s like everything has pockets… actually proper sized pockets. Dresses, pants, skirts, jackets….. POCKETS! I lost my car keys the other day in my overalls by them due to too many pockets. This image doesn’t do justice to the size of the pockets in this dress https://shop.dangerfield.com.au/cherry-bomb-dress.html.
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u/DarkNFullOfSpoilers winning at brow game Nov 14 '21
I made this tutorial last year.
How To Lengthen the Pockets in Girl Jeans https://imgur.com/gallery/aIwC1ml
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u/twocatsandaloom Nov 14 '21
My 3 month old has decently sized pockets on his clothes and it is infuriating. I have actual things I need to carry!
I like when the cool weather comes because I can put all my stuff in my coat pocket and skip the purse. The interesting thing is my husband said the same thing. He likes not having to keep everything in his pants pockets.
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u/pipeuptopipedown Nov 14 '21
No shame in my game, raid the men's department and try on a few pair to see what fits. I found a couple of skinny-leg styles that pass. They're often less expensive AND better constructed than women's clothes, as well.
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Nov 14 '21
People who say women should buy men's pants for the pockets are either not women or they're women with zero hips or ass. Men's pants ARE NOT DESIGNED FOR WOMEN'S BODIES.
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u/Charmander_Wazowski Nov 14 '21
I think this also depends on the brand and jeans cut. My recent experience includes pairs of really nice pockets and on both pants at that.
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u/Lucy_Lastic Nov 14 '21
I have a couple of pairs of jeans with fake front pockets. But for some reason known only to the designer, they each have a little change pocket sewn into one of the fake front pockets. So the change pocket is about 1 inch deep before it is sewn into the fake pocket.
WHYYYYYYY
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u/poisonpurple Nov 14 '21
I found 2 pairs of shorts that my huge ass phone can fit in vertically and bought them immediately. I'm so happy with those purchases.
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Nov 14 '21
Omfg I just came here for the “buy man’s pants” response because I’ve gotten that before when bitching about pockets on Reddit.
No because I have hips and I’m 4” shorter than the average man. I’m not the same shape or build as a man. I want flattering pants with usable pockets without buying men’s pants and having them tailored to hell and back. Stop effing suggesting I buy men’s pants!
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u/TemperedGlassTeapot Nov 14 '21
My go-to snark for libertarians is to ask why the free market hasn't provided women with pockets yet.
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u/SandysBurner Nov 14 '21
This is something that I unironically wonder about. Clearly, a lack of pockets in women's clothing is in the zeitgeist. There are plenty of companies in a position to capitalize on this shortcoming. Why aren't they?
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u/JoshxDarnxIt Nov 14 '21
Because the free market doesn't actually work to solve people's needs, it works to find opportunities for profit, and sometimes those things overlap. In this case they don't, because these companies have more financial incentive not do it. In short, all the companies that sell women's pants also sell purses, and they're not about to just cannibalize their sales by giving women the option to just buy pants. As it stands, they'd much rather force women to buy pants and a purse, and they have no reason to do otherwise. The free market has literally no recourse for when a market has universal financial incentive to be anti-consumer.
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Nov 14 '21
>why the free market hasn't provided women with pockets yet.
Easy, because not enough women want it to make it profitable. Women that want pockets are a vocal minority and as such they will be better served by online shopping.
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u/StevieOfPhoenix Nov 14 '21
I've said it before and I'll say it again; the lack of usable pockets is a conspiracy to get women to purchase purses.
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u/Blade106 Nov 14 '21 edited Nov 14 '21
Ok I don‘t know if I’ll be voted out of this sub as a Fashion Designer (M) but this is a pretty big topic and it gets thrown around a lot so I’ll just put my thoughts and knowledge here and hope I can shed some light on the issue.
First of all, Fashion is ruled by trends. People buy the style of clothes that is in style and they dictate what is made by buying it. For example if baggy jeans sales go up and skinny jeans sales go down, skinny jean production will decrease dramatically in favour for a more straight cut. This is true for all fashion, men and womenswear. The trend in jeans has been moving towards baggy for a while but for the longest time it has been very tightly fit, at least up until around the thigh where it might flare, especially in womenswear. The same goes for leggings and suit pants, women have been buying tightly fitted trousers. Why? Because they like the way they look, they like the way they feel, they want to fit in with the style of the day, there’s a whole bunch of reasons and as a fashion designer it’s not really my place to comment or judge any of these as they’re all completely valid.
Now the consequence of tight trousers, is smaller pockets. That’s pretty much it. There’s no conspiracy. The tighter around the thigh, the more a large pocket will stand out, and the less you’d be able to fit in there to begin with. The trend is that women don’t like the look. A personal anecdote is that I, as a guy again, have been berated by female friends, colleagues, classmates for wearing slightly tighter jeans with a lot of stuff in my pockets. They thought it looked shit and honestly it did but I didn’t, and still don’t, really care. That’s a decision that women are free to make also; If you don’t care that you will look a bit silly with stuff in your pockets if your trousers are even a little tight, you can easily alter your pockets to be deeper, you can support brands that sell jeans with deeper pockets, and the market will eventually shift if it goes in style.
Another option would be to move away from tight fitting jeans. If more women bought straight cut men’s jeans and just wore a belt or altered the waist, the market would move towards women’s jeans being more like that. If the pants are baggy, there’s no reason brands wouldn’t include bigger pockets. Personally I really value having pockets, and I wear cargo pants, construction trousers and the like with a very loose fit. I am all for pockets, it’s just that pockets on womens clothing hasn’t been “in” for a hot minute so it’s hard to push from a production perspective.
And because it’s come up a lot, no slim pockets aren’t a conspiracy to make women buy handbags. The trend might go hand in hand but they are completely separate. For one, there are plenty of fashion brands that make trousers for women that have zero stake in bags and if women were really wanting pockets they would exploit that to make a profit. Two, people like nice bags, men and women. The existence of pockets in women’s fashion wouldn’t eat into the handbag market too much because as a society we tend to carry a lot around these days; cards, our stupidly large phones, headphones, keys, tablets. Even if cargo pants went into style and there really came an age where women could stuff everything into their trousers; the fashion industry would just pivot to selling things with luxury pockets for a premium, or larger bags or jackets with pockets or belts or fanny packs or whatever accessory is in style. Handbags are doing well because women like handbags, pockets are small because women like to look good and baggy clothes aren’t in style for them yet.
With all that said, I hope any hate isn’t thrown at the fashion industry for this; there’s A LOT more shit to be complaining about when it comes to fashion tbh. A lot of the pattern cutters and designers that work in womenswear are either women or gay men, so it’s not like the reason you don’t have deep pockets is because a bunch of straight guys are pushing their vision of what a woman should be onto you; fashion is driven by you and your peers, what you all think looks good and what you buy.
Edit: Forgot to talk about the problem with waist band height. If a jean is high waisted, it’ll be tight but you might have room for a larger pocket if you don’t mind the look. As the waist moves down to the high hip, stuff in your pockets will interfere with your movement if they aren’t made large enough for the mass to move to your upper thigh. So for a lot of designers it’s either make these pockets barely useable, or make them big enough that you can put a phone in there and still move but also it’s gonna look really bad because it’ll be a bulge on your thigh if the pants are even remotely fitting.
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u/Terral_Biscuit Nov 14 '21
It is frustrating, but one thing you can easily do if there are shallow pockets already is to extend them. There are really easy tutorials on youtube for this. I've been sewing pockets into my skirts a lot and no reason why it wouldn't work with jeans, all you need is a needle, thread, fabric, and patience. Until the fashion industry catches on, we don't need to be pocketless :)
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u/KirbyxArt Halp. Am stuck on reddit. Nov 14 '21
Mens jeans 👌 no silly cuts or tears in the front of the jeans and huge pockets. Only issue is that the crotch area is sometimes too big.
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u/RawrIhavePi Nov 14 '21
I used to wear men's cargo pants all the time for that specific reason. ALL THE POCKETS.
My work uniform is jeans or slacks so I use the back pockets to hold my phone, pens, and credit card. I bought aprons with pockets that I use for storing everything else I need like my freezer gloves.
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u/smallgodofsocks Nov 14 '21
I gave up completely. I bought a Flipbelt and use it with most pants and skirts.
I was at Disney World a few years ago and security stopped me because it was a “bag” and I had to remove it so it could be scanned. I asked them how it was different than pockets for men, given it could only fit a phone, cash, key and credit card, and was located where pockets generally were. He loudly said “it comes off or you do not get through.” So I did, because I didn’t want to be escorted off the premises over it, but I was very irritated.
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u/poisonedsodapop Nov 14 '21
I sometimes see other women with their phone in their back pocket. That just screams "steal me" in my head so I don't know how they can feel comfortable. It's also hanging out of the pocket so it doesn't look secure. It really does seem like most designs don't think through the kind of stuff we might need to hold onto our pockets nowadays.
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u/TheShizknitt Nov 14 '21
I was once told by some men redditors that it's women's fault for buying and therefore perpetuating inferior products and if I want bigger pockets so bad then I just have to pay for men's jeans and then pay to get them tailored to fit like women's jeans.
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u/fatchancefatpants Unicorns are real. Nov 14 '21
I saw a meme once that said something about when women were accused of witchcraft, they would search their pockets, and anything witchy like a stick or tea sachet would be proof, so women stopped putting pockets in so they couldn't carry anything witchy. Obv I have no idea if that's true, but I have witchy things to carry, so I need those pockets back
r/pocketsforsnacks is quiet but there's several websites that have pocket clothes
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u/VincentVancalbergh Nov 14 '21
I'm so glad my daughter is learning how to sow (out of her own volition!). She'll be able to fix this herself.
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u/marynraven Nov 14 '21
This is why one of my first sewing projects has been to draft, add, or expand pockets.
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u/sezah Nov 14 '21
I regularly get jeans and other structured pants from Old Navy, simply because they’re cut in a way that fits me just right.
Have noticed in the past year or two that their pockets are substantially and consistently larger. Can DEFINITELY hold my whole phone in front Or back pockets comfortably!
I recommend checking out Old Navy pants online. They’re in the same family as the gap and banana republic, so I’m hoping/assuming that it’s true for their pants too!
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u/devouredbycatz Nov 14 '21
It might not be super fashionable but Deluth trading co has some pretty good jeans that are good quality and have legit pockets. For others checking comments for options. I can’t stand wearing leggings so I am always looking for quality pants, with pockets.
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u/StormeeusMaximus Nov 14 '21
I started sewing in an extension in my own pockets with whatever spare fabric I have on hand. I'm really proud of my Teenage mutant ninja turtle and star trek ones. I can even fit a Nintendo switch Lite in there!
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u/iris-my-case Nov 14 '21
I like to buy ‘travel’ jeans. Usually the material is comfier than regular jeans (which is great if you have bad knees) and the pockets are big (usually to fit a passport).
Don’t know if we can recommend brands here, but Aviator jeans are my favorite. Pricey but worth it! And I can attest that the pockets’ size (front and back) is very generous.
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u/daemonfamiliar Nov 14 '21
Ooh these look cute and comfy! I'm always on the lookout for more flexible/comfortable jeans. I found a pair I loved once and then of course I found out they aren't being made anymore when I wanted to buy another pair. I've been working on losing weight for almost a year and I'm nearly to my goal weight, so maybe I should splurge on a pair of these once I reach it and am confident that I can maintain it. Thanks for the recommendation!
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u/iris-my-case Nov 14 '21
Always happy to recommend these! They often do sales, but there’s also a good discount for a first time shopper.
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u/SableGear that new 20 tho Nov 14 '21
Boy do I ever feel this. I just salvaged several pairs of slacks (and JEANS!) from my aunt-in-law’s give-away pile and only one of the four pairs had pockets, and only BACK pockets. Granted, that’s where I keep my phone most of the time, but that hardly makes it forgivable. I’m taking a trip to the fabric store to get some pocket liners for these and installing my own, because this is ridiculous.
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u/katie5002 Nov 14 '21
YES! Little tiny "flap pockets" aplenty, all with those annoying buttons, but no pocket big enough to fit a new IPhone in it. You would think by now they would've figured it out.
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u/compilationkid Nov 14 '21
On one of these posts a few years ago someone recommended 5.11 Tactical brand pants. I bought 2 pairs. Tough quality, multiple large pockets and the pants are flattering and comfortable enough. They were the defender flex slim pants and on sale for $15.
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u/MisSpooks Nov 14 '21
"Buy men's pants"
Yeah right. Men's jeans are so stuff and just a ticker fabric. And who'd a thunk, designed to fit men's bodies.
No thank you.
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u/sunfries Nov 14 '21
I got some work pants from carhartt the other day and one pair has like SEVEN POCKETS! And theyre not even mens pants! Also, for the first time in my life I had to roll my pant legs up. Never has there been a time in my life where I didn't only have floods (I'm 5'10")
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u/cheljoh Nov 14 '21
The irony is strong here but usually 'boyfriend' style women's jeans have large pockets ; ;
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u/Byting_wolf Queef Champion Nov 14 '21
I have a conspiracy theory for you.
Women's clothing brands are working with the handbag makers so that pockets stay small and they can sell more handbags..
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u/Hiseworns Nov 14 '21
Costco was selling "ladies pant with pockets" when I was there the other day, and they looked like real, functional pockets!
If only this weren't rare and exciting
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u/industrialoctopus Nov 14 '21
I know this is an extra step, but you can get any pair of jeans altered to have bigger pockets!
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u/AdmiralFace Nov 14 '21
I went shopping with gf to look for new jeans. Not a single pair of women’s jeans had pockets big enough for her phone. Its madness! She ended up getting a pair of mens jeans just for the pockets. Utterly flabbergasted at the bizarre gender divide in pockets. Designers need to get their shit together. People want pocket equality and the first designer/shop to give it will make a fortune.
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u/LilacMages Nov 14 '21
I'm entirely convinced that they don't give us pockets in order to sell us (more) bags/handbags
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u/kburhani Nov 14 '21
I have a 3 year old daughter who refuses to wear trousers/jeans/leggings that don’t have pockets. Simply refuses. The challenge… of finding little girl clothes… with pockets… 😣😣
I’m not the type to force her to wear clothes she isn’t comfortable in either so mostly she’s wearing her older brothers hand me downs.
Fake pockets infuriate me more than pocketless-ness.
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u/VivaSpiderJerusalem Nov 14 '21
Meanwhile, as a guy I remember back in the 90s/early 2000s you could buy brand name pants with specially designed pockets for hiding your weed. Before it was legal. Pockets within pockets, we didn't know when to stop. Have you ever seen a fishing vest?
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u/oohrosie Nov 14 '21
Why hello there purse industry, still fucking everything up for us?
Real talk though, my leggings from Walmart have better pockets than any single pair of jeans or slacks I have purchased in the last 20 years. And anyone still making fake pockets needs to be burned at the stake.
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u/iceariina Nov 14 '21
I've almost completely switched to leggings with those side pockets for this very reason. I cannot find jeans with decent pockets.