Humanities Washington: And It Has Pockets! The Battle for Women's Clothing Equality (Hybrid)

Program Type:

Hybrid, Speaker or Forum

Age Group:

Adults
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Program Description

Event Details

How many times have you heard someone wearing women’s clothing exclaim, “And it has pockets!” Comparisons have shown that modern garments designed for women have about half the storage space of clothing designed for men. From their invention, pockets in women’s fashion have represented independence—so much so that in the 18th century, laws were enacted to strip women of their personal liberty by making the contents of their pockets the property of their husband. The right to have pockets went hand-in-hand with the right to vote. And people today are still speaking out about the inequality between men’s and women’s clothing based on this simple storage system.   

Join costume designer Diane Johnston to dig into the pockets of the past, tracing the history of the humble pocket to determine if the battle for equality may still be decided by a few inches of extremely influential fabric. 

Diane Johnston (she/her) is a theatrical costume designer who has spent the past 33 years creating costumes for productions large and small throughout the region. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Costume Design and is a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Johnston has always been fascinated with fashion history and the historic trends that find their way into our modern closets. She is currently the Theater Teacher at Snohomish High School. Johnston lives in Stanwood.

This program is made possible by Humanities Washington’s Speakers Bureau—"Fascinating talks by fascinating people." For more information about Speakers Bureau, please visit https://www.humanities.org/program/speakers-bureau/.

This event is available in person or online. To attend online, please register below. The Google Meet link will be emailed to you. 

Attend Live Watch Parties at:

     -Vancouver Community Library

     -Stevenson Community Library

Participants joining online will need a computer, tablet or phone with a camera and microphone.

Note

Library events and programs are open to the public and provided at no cost. Special accommodations may be requested using our Disability Accommodation Request Form no later than 15 days prior to the event.

Los eventos y programas de la biblioteca están abiertos al público y se brindan sin costo. Se pueden solicitar adaptaciones especiales utilizando nuestro formulario de solicitud de adaptaciones para personas con discapacidades (en inglés) hasta 15 días antes del evento.