Off The Record
Why Men’s And Women’s Shirts Have This One Key Difference
Fashion norms, once exclusive to males or women, are now becoming more flexible. Men’s and women’s clothing still differs in one minor way, though, and some historians contend that this is a centuries-old custom that has its roots in gender inequity.
When you next button your shirt, pay close attention to the placket, which is the reinforced band of cloth where the button and buttonhole meet. Now, carefully examine a clothing belonging to someone of the other gender and see if you can spot the difference.
Generally speaking, men’s buttons are on the right and women’s on the left.
Though experts have various suggestions, the precise roots of the oddball opposite-button design have been lost to time.
Lady’s maid
One of the most commonly acknowledged explanations dates back to the days when affluent women didn’t dress themselves. Since most individuals were right-handed, buttons were positioned on the left to make it easier for the maid to attach them. Upper-class women frequently had maids to assist them with getting dressed.
“When buttons were invented in the 13th century they were, like most new technology, very expensive,” Melanie M. Moore, founder of womenswear brand, told Today. “Wealthy women back then did not dress themselves – their lady’s maid did. Since most people were right-handed, this made it easier for someone standing across from you to button your dress.”
In contrast, males, who often dressed themselves, wore buttons on their right to accommodate right-handed people.
Ready for battle
According to other experts, men’s apparel was made for combat.
Back in the day, many men carried weapons (like swords or pistols) and needed easy access. Since “access to a weapon…practically trumped everything,” having buttons on the right made it easier to unbutton jackets or coats while keeping their dominant hand free for action, Chloe Chapin, fashion historian told Today.
“I think it’s important to question which time period we’re talking about,” Chapin, a Harvard doctoral candidate in American studies, started. “But as a general rule, many elements of men’s fashion can be traced back to the military.”
The left-side buttons persisted since, of course, women’s dress did not consider combat functionality.
Masculine twist
Another argument put out by Chapin was that women’s attire began to incorporate more masculine aspects during the 1880s.
“It was fashionable for women’s clothing to look more traditionally masculine. However, it was illegal in many places to be dressed like a man in public, so perhaps having a difference in buttoning confirmed that you were wearing a female dress,” the historian said.
Gender inequality
In “Man and Woman: A Study of Secondary and Tertiary Sexual Characters,” published in 1894, British sexologist Havelock Ellis noted that women’s clothing buttoning from right to left was a hint that they were viewed as less physically strong than males. He maintained that men, who, in contrast to women, did not need help getting dressed, possessed the “rapidity and precision of movement” that women lacked due to their inferior motor skills.
‘Button differential’
People are only now becoming aware of what The Atlantic dubbed the “button differential,” despite the fact that this small fashion element has been concealed for generations.
According to the journal, it “is a relic of an old tradition that we have ported, rather unthinkingly, into the contemporary world.”
The internet community is also taken aback.
One online user shares on Reddit, “I was today years old when I learned that women’s shirts have buttons on the left side!” And a second writes, “I *just* found out that shirt buttons are on the left for women and right for me. Wtf!!!!”
Others shared their thoughts on the centuries-old custom that still shapes fashion today, which is rife with gender inequality.
“Ah yes, the great gender divide – because apparently, centuries ago, women needed help getting dressed while men were expected to fend for themselves. Fast forward to today, and we’re still buttoning up outdated traditions,” tweets one user.
A second Redditor writes, “Zippers too, usually!”
The majority of garment companies still adhere to the left-for-women, right-for-men guideline, while some brands are now questioning gendered button placement.
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