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\nWhy are zippers on different sides of male and female jackets? \u2014 Agrima, age 13, Delhi, India<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nImagine you\u2019re at a clothing store that stocks items for the whole family. You pick up a white buttoned shirt to try on. The style is pretty plain. Was it designed to be worn by a woman or man?<\/p>\n
There may be a clue: Many women\u2019s shirts have buttons on the left side, while men\u2019s shirts usually button on the right. Even zippers in pants and jackets sometimes follow the same pattern.<\/p>\n
But why does clothing fasten differently depending on whether it\u2019s made for men or women? Fashion researchers<\/a> and historians like us<\/a> have wondered about this gender difference. The answer has a lot to do with tradition, history, and the way clothes were made long ago. Even small details, like a zipper, can tell a story about the past.<\/p>\n
Clothing is full of hidden history<\/h2>\n
When people look at clothes today, they often think about colors, comfort, or style. But clothing is also part of what historians call material culture<\/a>: all the objects people use every day. Examining the material culture of the past can reveal how people lived, worked, and thought in earlier times.<\/p>\n
Fasteners like buttons and zippers aren\u2019t just practical. They also follow design traditions that became connected to gender over hundreds of years.<\/p>\n
Very rich European women dressed in elaborate clothes they needed help putting on and getting fastened into. [Image: DEA\/ICAS94\/De Agostini\/Getty Images]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n One of the most common explanations for why male and female garments have their buttons on opposite sides comes from European fashion history. A long time ago, wealthy women from the nobility often wore complicated dresses with buttons and fasteners\u2014so complicated that they needed help getting dressed.<\/p>\n
Some historians believe buttons were placed in a way that made it easier for a servant to fasten the clothing<\/a>, reflecting class distinctions.<\/p>\n
About 90% of people are right-handed<\/a>. When a maid stood directly facing a noblewoman to dress her, buttons on the wearer\u2019s left side were lined up perfectly for the maid to use her dominant right hand to fit them into the buttonholes. If you try buttoning a jacket onto a friend or a stuffed animal while facing them, you will see exactly why this layout made the maid\u2019s job so much easier.<\/p>\n
One theory is that men\u2019s clothes fasten in a way that makes it easy to draw a weapon from the left hip with the right hand. [Image: Heritage Images\/Hulton Fine Art Collection\/Getty Images]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Men, on the other hand, usually dressed themselves. So shirts, trousers, and uniforms were designed with fastenings that were easy for the wearer to manage himself\u2014meaning buttons on the right side for a wearer to use his own right hand to fasten.<\/p>\n
Men\u2019s clothing was shaped by everyday practicality and function<\/a>.<\/p>\n
For example, some historians point to military traditions as a possible influence<\/a> on button placement. Men often wore swords on their left side and drew them with their right hand. The direction jackets, shirts, and trousers closed up may have helped prevent fabric from getting caught and in the way.<\/p>\n
Fashion habits are hard to change<\/h2>\n
Once clothing started being made in factories<\/a> in the early 19th century, brands needed consistent designs. Factories work best when patterns are standardized<\/a>\u2014so the button traditions stayed in place, even when people forgot how they started.<\/p>\n
As zippers gained popularity<\/a> in the early 1900s, clothing companies just stuck with the same customs about how men\u2019s and women\u2019s garments were supposed to close. Instead of creating brand-new rules, many manufacturers simply kept the same patterns they had used for buttons. So zippers often ended up following the same \u201cdirection\u201d<\/a> as older garment closures.<\/p>\n
Today, more brands are making unisex and gender-neutral clothing<\/a> meant for anyone, and many designers no longer follow the old left-side\/right-side rule. It\u2019s just a fashion tradition\u2014there\u2019s no reason zippers and buttons need to go on different sides for men versus women.<\/p>\n
It is now more acceptable to break the old rules about which side buttons or zippers should go on. If you make your own clothes, you can put closures\u2014whether buttons, zippers, snaps, ties, Velcro, or even something new you invent yourself\u2014wherever you want!<\/p>\n
\nHello, curious kids! Do you have a question you\u2019d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com<\/a>. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.<\/em><\/p>\n
And since curiosity has no age limit<\/em>\u2014adults, let us know what you\u2019re wondering, too. We won\u2019t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nJuYoung Lee<\/a> is an associate professor of fashion design and merchandising at Mississippi State University<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
Caroline Kobia<\/a> is an associate professor of fashion design and merchandising at Mississippi State University<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
This article is republished from <\/em>The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
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