Women vs. Men vs. pockets
Women vs. Men vs. pockets: I've been trying to reduce my use of carrying vessels other than my own pockets. It's going moderately well, but now I notice other people burdening themselves more than I did formerly, especially MEN, who allegedly don't need to carry extra things in purses, satchels, totes, etc. on a regular basis.
People who wear women's clothes often bemoan the lack of useful pockets. I suspect that this has been a long and vicious circle of "looking elegant" combined with aspersions of class -- "only lower class people need to haul practical things." Pockets in clothing became vestigial. Men's pockets mostly did not: they are deep and prolific. When I buy women's clothes, they have to have pockets. Sometimes I lengthen the pockets myself.
There are a few female outliers. Queen Elizabeth #2 always carries a handbag, despite having dozens of staff who surely could carry her items. High fashion women carry jeweled purses (which never have handles or shoulder straps) to evening events, so one hand is always occupied by holding the darn thing. This is more debilitating than stiletto heels -- they've lost a hand -- but it seems to go unnoticed as a handicap.
Once we're carrying a backpack or purse, there's usually extra capacity, which like our houses, we will manage to fill with items we don't need quite as urgently. After a while, we may find we can't manage without a certain volume of encumbrance. The pockets become a small backpack. The backpack gets a belt pack addition for the phone or tablet. Then the backpack gets an upgrade, but the belt pack remains.... We fill the garage with stuff, and then if we have the opportunity, we buy a larger house.
People who wear women's clothes often bemoan the lack of useful pockets. I suspect that this has been a long and vicious circle of "looking elegant" combined with aspersions of class -- "only lower class people need to haul practical things." Pockets in clothing became vestigial. Men's pockets mostly did not: they are deep and prolific. When I buy women's clothes, they have to have pockets. Sometimes I lengthen the pockets myself.
There are a few female outliers. Queen Elizabeth #2 always carries a handbag, despite having dozens of staff who surely could carry her items. High fashion women carry jeweled purses (which never have handles or shoulder straps) to evening events, so one hand is always occupied by holding the darn thing. This is more debilitating than stiletto heels -- they've lost a hand -- but it seems to go unnoticed as a handicap.
Once we're carrying a backpack or purse, there's usually extra capacity, which like our houses, we will manage to fill with items we don't need quite as urgently. After a while, we may find we can't manage without a certain volume of encumbrance. The pockets become a small backpack. The backpack gets a belt pack addition for the phone or tablet. Then the backpack gets an upgrade, but the belt pack remains.... We fill the garage with stuff, and then if we have the opportunity, we buy a larger house.