Purses, while sometimes a nuisance and prone to abandonment, become our burden to bear since keys, cash and menstrual hygiene products need to be stashed somewhere safe and easy to grab. (Photo: Pixabay)
I still remember those simpler days while in college. The first-ever smartphone I could afford as a student then was a tiny three-inch Samsung Champ. Clearly a “pocket-sized model”, it came with a little joystick and a camera.
As I grew older and as I upgraded to Apple products, I ended up buying phones that were at least five inches in size. Along the way, I also realised that the concept of a “pocket-sized model” was not the same for men and women.
While my Samsung Champ could easily fit into my pants pocket, my new iPhone was a whole different matter. Which is why I switched to the iPhone mini last year. And yet, it would stick out of my pocket. Each time I went out reporting, I would constantly feel that my phone was about to slip out of my tiny pocket. And it actually did one time. After that, I started holding it in my hand.
At social events, I find myself either spending half the time looking for something in my bag, which at times feels like it carries the weight of the entire world, or giving my phone for safekeeping to a man with functional pockets.
Forget childhood bullies, my nemesis has always been the lack of pockets in women’s clothing. It’s a universal struggle faced by every woman I know. We’re constantly burdened with purses or bags because our existing pockets are, well, a joke. Wallets and cards in bags ghost me regularly, never mind scrounging around for a simple pen.
Purses, while sometimes a nuisance and prone to abandonment, become our burden to bear since keys, cash and menstrual hygiene products need to be stashed somewhere safe and easy to grab. Most women’s fascination for men’s T-shirts, with their airy and functional pockets, is undeniable. It stems from us falling victim to the “pocket scam” — our excitement over buying cute pyjamas, pants, skirts or dresses is crushed by the reality of discovering the lack of pockets in these apparel. Have you ever seen pockets on a women’s swimsuit? Did you know that some swimming trunks for men have pockets? Don’t we deserve clothing that allow us to live our lives without constantly worrying about where to stash our essentials?
For centuries, women have navigated a tightrope between the desire for practicality and aesthetics. While pockets have long been a mainstay of men’s clothing, their presence in women’s garments depends on the latest trends in the market. Today, the debate continues. While some designers prioritise functionality, in the form of deep, secure pockets, the others stick to form-fitting aesthetics with decorative flaps that offer little functionality.
Barbara Burman and Ariane Fennetaux wrote in their book, The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women’s Lives, “Women shaped their consumption of pockets more by the ways they worked and circulated within and between private and public spheres than by desires or dreams of fashion…If we think of the pocket as a lens through which to look at the past, a tool to think with, its exceptional resilience for 250 years reveals patterns of continuity remaining alongside great changes over the period.”
Although Indian society has transformed from women who were scared to be independent since money in their “pockets” meant freedom that would supersede men, to women who are co-breadwinners of their families. Yet, the majority of women live with the preconception that utility and practical dressing is for men, and all the pink and pretty is only what women should look for.
National Editor Shalini Langer curates the fortnightly She Said column
