Fake Pockets In Women's Jeans: Another Way To Police What We Wear?

That one moment of hope that women get when they buy new jeans, which is quashed when they later find out that this pair too has fake pockets, seems cruel. Fake pockets in jeans aren't something one would easily comprehend if they are either men or shop from the men’s section, but for the rest of us, it’s a casual nightmare. What have women done, to not deserve deep pockets in their jeans in which they can tuck their phones and keys and walk out of the front door like it is not a big deal?

Even when clothes bestow us with pockets they are so tiny, you can barely fit your fingertips inside them. What is it that banishes the designers from giving women slightly bigger space in the pockets of their bottom wear? Does this trend of no or tiny pockets stem from the regressive and outdated notion that women do not have to carry wallets or keys with them, since that is something their male companion will take care of? Or that all women carry purses, so why bother putting the extra fabric in their clothes?

Fashion: A male-dominated industry

The male-dominated fashion industry continues to drive the preference for aesthetics over function because their priority is profits and trends. No one even thinks about comfort, when it comes to women's clothing.  While designing the clothes for women the focus is on how fabric best drapes the body, not how practical the design is. But then, can we singlehandedly blame designers and trendsetters? Doesn't supply depend on demand too. Which begs the question, why do many women still continue to choose aesthetics over functionality? And how does the society treat women who choose functionality over fashion trends?

Suggested Reading: Why Do Women’s Clothes Get To Define Them, But Not Their Talent Or Achievements?

Women who choose to buy jeans from men's section because they find them more practical or comfortable and instantly labelled as "tom boys" or "jhalli". They are told that their jeans or pants are ill-fitting, and make them look fat. So if you want to be labelled as attractive, stylish and chic, you have no other option than to wear bottom wear with shallow or no pockets, or spend a day hunting down a pair of jeans which is both stylish and has deep pockets. But it shouldn't be so difficult.

The casual sexism in clothing

As long as we continue to reinforce stereotypes about women being objects of desire, fussing more over what they look like versus their needs we cannot create an equal society. It turns out everyone, literally, everyone focuses on how a woman looks rather than what she wants. Given that, you will look improper in certain areas of your body, if you put stuff in those equal pockets, thus compromising the society's belief of femininity in its perfect form. So, with such high stakes, the fashion industry has a glaring reason for keeping women’s keys, wallets, and even a single coin out of their pockets.

The capitalist loss and gains

Now place this in the picture- if women don’t have pockets they will be needing something to put stuff in, and there we have created a51.25 billion dollar industry out of a "something". So, not only did capitalism deny women the easy access to a space where they can tuck in their belongings, it got them to shell out extra money to just that.

While deeper pockets may seem like a trivial matter, this is yet another way society polices what we wear, based on how it looks on our bodies. We are not saying that all pants and bottomwear should have deeper pockets, because that might not be every woman's priority. It is just that we need more choices so that each woman can pick up what she likes, not what trends dictate.

Views expressed are the author’s own.