Trouser pockets and pink dumbbells - are women fed up of being offered style over practicality?
Why are women discussing trouser pockets on social media? While women's fashion continues to be colour-coded, why are basic features like pockets missing?
Why are there no pockets on women’s clothes? And the ones that do have pockets that are too small and impractical? Be they gym wear and sweatpants, or formal trousers and jeans, or ethnic outfits, pockets are rare to come by in women’s wear.
Don’t women need to carry keys and a mobile phone? Is a woman expected to jog or use a treadmill with a handbag slung over her shoulder? Is the conspiracy theory of a secret understanding between women’s trouser manufacturers and handbag companies true? As we get ready to usher in 2017, women (and a few men) have been tweeting on the topic of the missing pocket. Check the tweets below that range between angry, indignant, sarcastic and funny, to get an understanding of what seems to be a silly topic but can actually be pretty annoying in the long run.
The pink dumbbells
So where do the pink dumbbells come in? From gender-specific colours and toys (cars for boys and dolls for girls) for children, to colour-coding grown women’s gym accessories, manufacturers seem to invest their efforts into the ‘looks’ of products for women rather than the ‘utility’ factor.
This thought process can actually be dangerous. It is shocking that it was only in 2012 that a female dummy was made a mandatory part of frontal crash tests in USA. So, for a 100 years a dummy representing the average male was used in crash tests. This may have had a substantial impact on women’s automobile safety. If airbags are designed for the average male, they will strike most men in the upper chest, creating a cushion for their bodies and heads. For the more petite gender, the airbag is likely to hit the chin first, snapping their heads back, potentially leading to serious neck and spinal injuries in women.
There are several more unisex products and services that continue to be male-focussed in design and execution. If manufacturers are serious about catering to female clientele, they need to think beyond colouring their products pink and a range of pastel shades, and focus on factors like comfort, safety and ease of use. If they are still interested in colour coding, why not think out of the box and have kitchen appliances in shades of blue – to induce the manly man to cook?