# Why do some men's slacks have an extra, inner button? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 1, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-mens-slacks-have-an-extra-inner-button/172388 "2003-05-01T14:57:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-mens-slacks-have-an-extra-inner-button/172388/1 "2003-05-01T14:57:52Z")
I have several pair of men’s slacks (I’m such a cross dresser) and almost all of them have a button on the inside of the slacks in addition to whatever closures are on the outside of the garment. The slacks I’m wearing today have an inner button, a metal slide closure (what’s the right term for that anyway?) _and_ a button on the outside. God forbid I have to get my pants off in a really big hurry! So why’s that inner button there? Does it have a name? Why don’t women’s pants have them? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-mens-slacks-have-an-extra-inner-button/172388/2 "2003-05-01T15:33:37Z")
Men to have bigger bellies. The estra button serves two purposes: to distribute the tension but more importantly to hold the shape. maybe you have noticed men with big bellies and the waist is tight and just below the pants bulge out like an inflated bubble. That second button helps avoid that. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-mens-slacks-have-an-extra-inner-button/172388/3 "2003-05-01T16:14:53Z")
Alternatively, the button could be for the use of suspenders/bracers, but I think **sailor** has it right. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-mens-slacks-have-an-extra-inner-button/172388/4 "2003-05-01T16:16:20Z")
Does the extra button have a corresponding button hole? Because it might be a spare, in case the regular one pops off or breaks. I’ve seen this on shirts, but never on pants. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-mens-slacks-have-an-extra-inner-button/172388/5 "2003-05-01T16:43:39Z")
The same people who decided that women’s bras needed to close in the back and that their shoes needed really tall heels on them decided that men need to keep their pants from falling down really, really badly, so we get a zipper, a slide closure, a button, a belt and suspenders. Women, on the other hand, have hips. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-mens-slacks-have-an-extra-inner-button/172388/6 "2003-05-01T17:24:17Z")
Yes, Chronos, it has a corresponding button hole. JuanitaTech ponders taking off her pants, taking a picture (of the pants, silly) and posting it… ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-mens-slacks-have-an-extra-inner-button/172388/7 "2003-05-01T17:24:41Z")
Most of my dress slacks have such a button. ( **Chronos** - yes, there’s a corresponding hole.) Fastening the button makes no difference in how the pants _feel_ to me, but having heard that they can remove a strange “pooch” like **sailor** describes I felt further investigation was warranted. I’ve carefully examined myself in the mirror to see if I could tell any difference between having the button fastened or not. Lots of twisting, bending, stretching, etc. I couldn’t tell a damn bit of difference, so I don’t bother fastening it anymore. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-mens-slacks-have-an-extra-inner-button/172388/8 "2003-05-01T17:27:14Z")
I’m a girl and I buy clothes from Layne Bryant (nice clothes for large women) and the slacks I buy there also have the extra button. I suspect because of the belly factor as well. FYI that extra button and hole comes in handy if you happen to pop off the main button while crawling along the floor! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-mens-slacks-have-an-extra-inner-button/172388/9 "2003-05-01T17:43:34Z")
It is there to keep the waistband straight, as has been mentioned before. If the button were not there, or not buttoned, a bunching may occur, which would lead to the above mentioned embarassing bulge, as well as causing an irritation to the extreme lower belly of the wearer. It’s probably most common in pleated pants.