A woman who works in construction shared her disappointment with the size and depth of the pockets on her workwear in comparison to her male counterparts, noting it’s a constant reminder that she works in a male-dominated field.
TikToker @technicallyatech created the video in response to another user, Morgan, who goes by the username @almostcaptainmorgan, who asked women that work in male-dominated fields to share examples of their “daily reminders that things aren’t quite made for you”.
In a response video, @technicallyatech revealed that her daily reminder is her pockets.
“Pockets. These pants that I’m wearing right now are made by a brand that makes workwear specifically for women, which is why I was particularly ticked off when I couldn’t even fit my phone into my front pocket properly, let alone bend over with my phone in my pocket,” the construction worker said as she showed off the utility pants, which could only just fit her iPhone. “Our tools are the same sizes, our phones are the same sizes. What is the reason that women’s pockets are so much more shallow than men’s pockets?”
In the caption of the video, which has since been viewed more than 1.3m times, the construction worker added: “Why are our pockets so shallow?!”
The TikToker’s criticism of the workwear designed for women has since sparked a debate in the comments. Some viewers expressed their shock over the realisation that the issue with women’s clothing extends to workwear, while others claimed that the lack of pockets on women’s clothing is the result of a marketing tactic that encourages women to buy more purses.
“The pockets aren’t even proper in work pants?!” one person asked.
“Tactic to sell us purses,” another person commented, while someone else said: “I think it’s to increase sales for purses and handbags.”
According to one viewer, the shallow pockets are meant to “force you to buy a bag or purse”. “It’s like an unwritten law in fashion,” they added.
@technicallyatech’s video also prompted many responses from viewers encouraging her to buy men’s workwear instead as a solution to the predicament.
“Just buy the men’s pants,” one person suggested, while someone else said: “That’s why I buy ‘male’ workwear. I just don’t trust anything marketed as ‘for women.’”
“Buy men’s pants. That’s the best option for now,” another person said.
While, as noted by one viewer, wearing men’s workwear may work as a temporary solution to the problem, it does not fix the issue or take into account that the pants may not fit as well.
“The point is, yes we can wear men’s workwear but we shouldn’t have to!” they wrote.
In a follow-up video, the TikToker further explained why “men’s workwear is not the solution” and even tried on a pair of men’s overalls to prove her point.
Despite adjusting the straps to be as short as possible, the overalls did not fit her properly.
“Look at how far down the crotch sits. The waistline is also sitting on my stomach, not my waist,” she noted in a text caption on the video. However, if she pulls the overalls up, so that the waistband is positioned where it should be on her hips, the pant leg length of the overalls then ends up being “too short” and the shoulder straps become loose.
She concluded the video adding: “I’m not able to do my job well, comfortably, and safely in this. We need proper women’s gear.”
The TikToker’s follow-up video was met with agreement from others who have found themselves facing similar predicaments, with one viewer noting that having to wear men’s clothing makes “doing basic things so much more frustrating because you’re constantly adjusting”.
“I am a female plumber and have always had this struggle,” someone else wrote. “The lack of female workwear is so frustrating.”
As noted by Vox, complaints about the size, or lack of, pockets on women’s clothing are not new, as the issue has persisted for more than a century. While the absence of women’s pockets is largely due to the French Revolution, which saw fashions change and silhouettes made thinner, and, as a result, the introduction of the decorative purse, the outlet notes that the issue is also political. It limits the amount that women could hold throughout history, thus making them dependent on others.
