How women’s pockets became so controversial

Pocket history 

Pockets for women have long been an afterthought. “In the 16th and 17th Centuries, women did have a kind of pocket,” says Stevenson. “They had what they called tie-on pockets which tied around the body and were underneath the skirts, which had a slit in the sides so you could reach into them.”

These tie-on pockets were often heavily decorated and used to store items like keys, money, handkerchiefs and sewing kits, as well as valuables like watches, snuff-boxes and smelling bottles.

Getty ImagesIn the 16th and 17th Centuries, women wore tie-on versions that fastened around their waists, under their skirts (Credit: Getty Images)

“They symbolised this sense of autonomy,” says Stevenson. “But they disappeared in the late-18th and early-19th Century when the Regency style was introduced and silhouettes became much more form fitting.” As pockets went away, so did that autonomy. “If as a woman you can’t take your valuables into the public sphere, it makes you a lot more vulnerable and dependent on males or servants,” says Stevenson. 

All the things that might go in pockets – money, keys, notes – symbolised things that weren’t meant to concern women, like property, power and privacy. Some women started carrying small bags instead. “That was another thing that made you more vulnerable because it meant you couldn’t really use your hands,” says Stevenson.