# Why do women wear skirts and men trousers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2021, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-skirts-and-men-trousers/937836 "2021-03-13T17:45:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-skirts-and-men-trousers/937836/61 "2021-04-03T23:38:42Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Or, for that matter, the arm-baring bust-accentuating [chiton of the ancient Roman maiden](https://romanroadsmedia.com/2014/10/romanfashion/). Or the breast-baring fashion of the Minoan women, who also wore skirts. (2-click rule, just in case) [The Stream of Time: The Minoans: Fashion](https://antiquatedantiquarian.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-minoans-fashion.html) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-skirts-and-men-trousers/937836/62 "2021-04-04T10:47:03Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > As far as I know, the only garment that “strongly, confrontationally emphasize[s] the visual of the penis” is the codpiece. Sailor pants and jeans too, too. At least, that’s what Tom of Finland taught me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ALOHA\_HATER](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@ALOHA\_HATER](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ALOHA_HATER)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-skirts-and-men-trousers/937836/63 "2021-04-04T21:08:31Z")
My further explanation remains “try it if you don’t believe me.” Generally (that is GENERALLY mind you) the shape of mens’ clothes come from the structure of the garment itself, and the shape of women’s clothes come from the body of the wearer. Kilts vs skirts follows the same trend. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-skirts-and-men-trousers/937836/64 "2021-04-04T23:19:21Z")
Not convinced this is “generally true”. A skirt will shape itself completely differently on the same exact woman based on e.g. a choice by the designer of straight versus bias cut. And if men’s clothing is so self-shaping, why do those Savile Row people require weeks of fittings? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-skirts-and-men-trousers/937836/65 "2021-04-05T04:43:57Z")
> [@ALOHA\_HATER](#): > > My further explanation remains “try it if you don’t believe me.” Well, there have been several responses so far in this thread from skirt-wearing, or skirt-like-garment-wearing, penis-havers who have tried it and who still don’t believe you. And others who have not tried the experiment, on account of either not having a skirt or not having a penis, have never noticed the effect you claim when interacting with skirt-wearing penis-havers. None of them believe you either. So AFAICT your claim remains at belief level zero here, not counting your own belief in it, of course. > [@ALOHA\_HATER](#): > > One reason skirts aren’t common for men is that they strongly, confrontationally emphasize the visual of the penis. […] > > it doesn’t have to be particularly thin, clingy, or tight. […] > > Generally (that is GENERALLY mind you) the shape of mens’ clothes come from the structure of the garment itself, and the shape of women’s clothes come from the body of the wearer. Kilts vs skirts follows the same trend. There are a billion or so men around the globe who routinely wear lungis or sarongs or dhotis or kilts or some other type of skirt. Some of these skirts (like the Scots kilt) are rather elaborately constructed out of rather heavy material, while some of them (like the lungi) have no construction at all to speak of (being basically an unseamed rectangle of cloth), and are made out of much lighter and flimsier materials. None of these skirt-wearing men, or any of the people who encounter them in person or see pictures of them, or for that matter any of the people looking at historical depictions of any of the other millions of men in skirt-wearing cultures of the past, seem to be perceiving this phenomenon that you claim is so noticeable and so ubiquitous as to be a major factor in determining sartorial norms for men. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-skirts-and-men-trousers/937836/66 "2021-04-05T05:03:06Z")
Of course, one does have to be careful, as a Scottish colonel discovered: > **[Does Photo Show Queen Elizabeth II and a Colonel's 'Crown Jewels'?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/crown-jewels/)** > > Rumor: Photograph shows Queen Elizabeth seated next to a colonel whose kilt was a little too revealing. ---
**Author:** ![ALOHA\_HATER](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@ALOHA\_HATER](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ALOHA_HATER)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-skirts-and-men-trousers/937836/67 "2021-04-05T06:30:50Z")
They require alterations to provide the illusion that the shape comes from the man’s body rather than the thicker, layered material and structured architecture. @Kimstu, I feel like you’re talking about garments that are **topologically** skirts and I’m talking about ones that are **categorically** skirts; ie Western women’s skirts. If the question is ‘why don’t Western men wear skirtlike garments made for men,’ then I’m sure I don’t have an expert answer to that. I was addressing one aspect of the skirt situation which I haven’t seen mentioned when people ask about the topic. I respect that you don’t accept my claims without evidence. I’ll take some pictures if you want. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-skirts-and-men-trousers/937836/68 "2021-04-05T06:35:19Z")
> [@ALOHA\_HATER](#): > > I’ll take some pictures if you want. Pics or it’s not true! 😄 ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-skirts-and-men-trousers/937836/69 "2021-04-05T09:07:41Z")
> [@ALOHA\_HATER](#): > > I feel like you’re talking about garments that are **topologically** skirts and I’m talking about ones that are **categorically** skirts; ie Western women’s skirts. Ah, so a kilt is not a true scotsman skirt 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-skirts-and-men-trousers/937836/70 "2021-04-05T09:50:08Z")
Also, note you could use the same logic to say men don’t wear trousers. I mean, if we define trousers as a garment tailored for women, and say trousers with space in the crotch don’t count as _true_ trousers, then most men have never worn trousers either. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Sponge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dark_sponge/32/121_2.png) [@Dark\_Sponge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Sponge)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-skirts-and-men-trousers/937836/71 "2021-04-05T16:18:21Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > …Are you referring specifically to Bangladesh and/or Pakistan? I don’t know of any other Islamic countries where it’s traditional for women to wear sari. Also, the sari is definitely more of a skirt-type than trouser-type garment, so I’m really not sure what you’re driving at here. Yes, it was Bangladesh. A couple living there told me this was the common practice and reason why the wife did it. Bengali women commonly wear loose pants (in the same style cloth as a sari) with a wrap on top and call it a sari. To put it very bluntly, the pants were better at protecting against penetration of fingers. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-skirts-and-men-trousers/937836/72 "2021-04-06T03:55:46Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Also, note you could use the same logic to say men don’t wear trousers. > I mean, if we define trousers as a garment tailored for women, and say trousers with space in the crotch don’t count as _true_ trousers, then most men have never worn trousers either. Then how would you account for the expression, “Trouser Trout”? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-skirts-and-men-trousers/937836.md?page=3)