The differences in the fastenings of men’s and women’s shirts seem quite strange. After all, we all button up pretty much the same way. Clothes made for left- and right-handed people would make more sense. However, just like in the past, today the buttons on a shirt are sewn on from different sides depending on the gender of the person who is to wear it. Why is this done and does it make sense?
Why do women’s shirts have buttons on a different side than men’s?
Some people try to find at least one explanation, relying on logic. This may be difficult to do. It turns out that it has little to do with logic, at least when it comes to today’s realities. The origins of the differences in the construction of women’s and men’s shirts can be found in history. And we have to go back a good few centuries.
From noble wardrobe to knights on the battlefield
As we read on the website, women’s shirts have buttons on the left and men’s on the right due to the way people used to dress in the past. In the past, men did it themselves, and women were helped by servants. In fact, this is hardly surprising. How to put on a corset and several layers of other clothes alone? This is why tailors sewed women’s clothes in a way that would be more convenient for other people to handle. It should be emphasized that we are talking about people from the upper classes, because the poorer ones could not afford either servants or buttons – they tied their clothes with belts or fastened them with wooden pins.
In the old days, rich women were dressed by servants, so tailors sewed clothes so that the other person could button up comfortably. photo: shutterstock / Artem Sokolov
Another explanation goes back even further – to the times of knights. In men’s shirts, the buttons are on the right side and are “covered” with the left. It’s supposed to have something to do with a basic principle on the battlefield. The knight held a shield in his left hand and a sword in his right. When an opponent attacked him with a sword in his right hand, he could shield or cover himself with a shield held in his left hand. Symbolically, this rule was moved from the battlefield to the dressing room.
Even though these times have passed many centuries ago, some principles still remain with us. Although they don’t always make sense, considering the current realities. We can either adapt or switch to clothes with zippers. These treat everyone equally.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
