There was a time when women’s clothing changed drastically. Around the 19th century, the number of active women who enjoyed sports began to increase. They began to wear clothes without corsets. However, these sports clothes were heavy costumes with long dragging hems and decorations. It was World War I that changed these heavy costumes. Many men went to the battlefield as soldiers. Women began to work to fill the gap. This was the time when the war became a so-called total war of the nation. Long dresses with dragging hems became unnecessary for factory workers. The times began to change from luxurious decorative costumes to comfortable and easy-to-move clothes.
However, there was a different trend in women’s clothing from men’s clothing. During the war, both men and women had many convenient pockets. It was a welcome phenomenon for women who were beginning to wake up to gender equality. These convenient pockets appeared during the war and disappeared in an instant afterwards. Of course, even without pockets, women’s clothes are no longer restrictive or cramped. Convenient pockets have appeared and disappeared in modern times, just as they did in the Victorian era. In the 20th and 21st centuries, women’s pockets continue to appear and disappear. This time, we looked at gender issues from the perspective of women’s pockets. As an unnecessary addition, gender refers to sexual differences defined by society and culture, as opposed to biological sex. Gender is said to include fashion elements such as clothing and hairstyles.
Christian Dior once said that men’s clothes are made for practicality and women’s clothes for beauty. Dior’s words are said to imply that the intentions behind the design of men’s and women’s clothes are different. Some people see the presence or absence of pockets in particular as social and political discrimination. Today’s women’s pockets are obviously smaller than men’s, indicating their inconvenience. The argument is that the size of pockets regulates women’s bodies and limits their independence in carrying things. The pockets on unisex clothing are a sign of all sorts of traditions based on male dominance. From a gender perspective, there has been a trend to view the situation negatively, that clothing is designed solely for aesthetics, not for the needs of the wearer.
