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>It's far more socially acceptable for a woman to wear men's jeans than men to carry woman's handbags (speaking for the US).

Women's and mens jeans have different fits. Womans jeans tend to have a looser cut around the hips and butt for their waist size. And mens jeans tend to have a larger leg length.

Pants with a small cut will also be way more tighter on womens pants than mens. They also often have a much higher waist.

Men who wish to carry more than their pants allow can always carry a small backpack or satchel too. (which, if you know how to dress, will often count as a plus to your look)

> My issue is the false characterization as a patriarchal design choice ("patriarchy of pockets") as opposed to a pervasive fashion choice which nobody is obligated to participate in.

Women want pockets, it's a meme among women that any piece of clothing becomes 10x better if it has 'real' pockets (and even those are smaller, as this article shows).

Why don't women's clothes have pockets? I doubt every modern day fashion designer is horribly sexist, they just don't put real pockets on because it's 'unseemly' or 'unfashionable', but the reason they think that _is_ historically patriarchical. As the article does provide quotes for towards the end.

>If you're buying pants that don't fit your needs, shame on you.

The issue as I understand from more than a few women I've heard complaining about it is that it is simply very difficult to even find pants with the desired pocket space and many pockets aren't even pockets, just decoration.

You realize that females are shaped differently than males, right? That clothing is as much a fashion statement as it is functional, right? It's incredibly silly to tell women to just start wearing men's jeans.

If you're buying pants that don't fit your needs, shame on you.

Women's pants near-universally have pointlessly small and tight pockets. The issue isn't that functional pants don't exist, it's that the selection is extremely limited, and I don't throw around adverbs like "extremely" just to exaggerate a point.

It seems you are arguing that pockets on women's clothing are usually adequate? Do you know this from experience? Both questions are asked honestly: I don't know what kind of clothing you wear, and I might have misunderstood your comment in the first place.

That being said, I can only offer anecdotical evidence, but my fiancée complains often about her lack of pockets, and is sometimes surprised at what I fit in my "normal" pockets.

When she then shows me her pockets, I am often astonished at how artificially dysfunctional they are. Things like pockets that are sewed shut, or, somehow more laughably, only 1cm deep. Yet when I wore skintight jeans, they almost fit my smartphone (wether that looks good is an entirely different question, the option is there).

But maybe she's just wearing the wrong brands or something?

I carry a Timbuk2 small bag pretty much everywhere, and have been subject to all sorts of discrimination.

I want to know whether you are trolling or are serious.

I'm serious. I carry one of these [1]. The most common problem I have is w/ businesses getting sketched out. Costco asks to look inside it more often than not for example. Its not like it is one of the large ones, it is pretty much a glorified fanny pack, and is about the same size as an average purse. Costco has never asked to look inside my wife's purse.

[1] https://www.timbuk2.com/collections/all-messenger-bags

What's your response? Do you fire back? You shouldn't let someone give you guff for something like this.

We have plenty of alternatives though! I purchased myself a sweet man bag from Alcatraz about this time last year and I've been toting it ever since. The country I live in has a bit of a 'manly man' culture problem, but nobody has ever batted an eye. I guess even if they did, I'm old enough now that they wouldn't get a rise, only a snort of derision.

As soon as you have to open your purse, it ceases being an entirely private space. If your pockets are inferior, that means you have to open the purse that much more often.

And just because women can wear men's clothes, we should force them to do so to get functional ones?

I'm failing to understand the hostility to a fairly objective look at the situation.

Given that pants with large pockets are super rare and having custom made pants super expensive, yes I am obligated to participate in the thing.

In terms of patriarchy and oppresion, this is more of funny then serious. Like, extremely unserious.

But the point that no, I don't have actual choice in terms of pockets, stands.

It is easier to find a men's scottish kilt with pockets than it is women's trousers with pockets, much less dresses. Let that sink in.