穿過男朋友的衣服才知道，女裝口袋這麼小！

女生穿男裝早就不是什麼新鮮事了。

有可能是“隨便找了件男票的衣服套着”。

但單身汪們逛街的時候跑到同品牌男裝區選購，通常是給自己買。

問她們爲什麼。回答普遍是：“好看啊”、“實用啊”、“相同的價位，尺碼卻大幾圈，作oversize（大碼）穿多好啊！”

男女裝之間存在哪些不那麼顯而易見的差異，讓人做出不循常規的消費決策呢？

下面這些不同點，穿過異性衣服的人才會知道。

口袋

作家Lucy Rycroft-Smith曾試着一個月只穿男裝，她發現的第一件事就是口袋的差異。

We need to talk about pockets. The clothes I'm wearing now have bountiful, multifaceted, capacious pockets. I have nine of them today. I counted them. On a typical day of wearing womenswear, I have NONE.

我得說說口袋。我現在穿的男裝，口袋巨多，每一面都有，而且都超大超能裝。我今天穿的這件就有9個口袋，我數過了！想想我穿女裝的日子，一個口袋也沒有。

Another realization like a wet herring to the face: The "handbag vs pockets" thing is huge confidence-underminer, another terribly effective, if inadvertent way, to hold women down.

我還常聽說一個邏輯謬誤：“女人有包，要啥口袋”。簡直又是無意間把女人當作要區別對待的弱勢羣體。

I remember being crouched over my handbag, furiously ferreting for a business card while my male colleague coolly produced one from his manly chest-cavity.

我記得以前帶手提包的時候，不得不蹲在那瘋狂找名片，而我的男同事已經瀟灑地從胸前口袋裏掏出來了。

布丁網的研究者們蒐集了美國最暢銷的20個牛仔褲品牌，測量了它們的男女褲裝的口袋大小。

The average sizes for both women and men. The measurements confirmed what every woman already knows to be true: women’s pockets are ridiculous.

男褲與女褲前口袋的平均大小對比。該測量數據證實了每個女人都知道的事：女褲口袋是來搞笑的。

On average, the pockets in women's jeans are 48% shorter and 6.5% narrower than men’s pockets.

平均而言，女褲口袋比男褲口袋短48%，窄6.5%。

Beyond the obvious measurement differences, we wanted to see just how functional all these pockets were. After all, a pocket is only as good as what you can fit in it.

除開這些表面的測量數據，我們還想知道這些口袋的功能表現如何。畢竟，要看口袋有多好，得看它有多能裝。

Only 40 percent of women’s front pockets can completely fit one of the three leading smartphone brands. Less than half of women’s front pockets can fit a wallet specifically designed to fit in front pockets. And you can’t even cram an average woman’s hand beyond the knuckles into the majority of women’s front pockets.

女褲的口袋中，只有40%能放得下市面上常見的智能手機。不到一半的女褲口袋能裝得下小錢包，這裏說的還是那種爲褲子前口袋特意定製的小錢包。這還沒完，大部分的女褲前口袋，你甚至連手都放不進去。

釦子

On shirts, the buttons are on the left for the ladies and on the right for the gents.

女襯衫的扣子在左側，而男襯衫的扣子在右側。

When buttons were invented in the 13th century, they were, like most new technology, very expensive. Wealthy women back then did not dress themselves — their lady’s maid did. Since most people were right-handed, this made it easier for someone standing across from you to button your dress.

釦子是13世紀發明的，和許多新技術一樣，那時的扣子非常昂貴。家境殷實的女人不需要自己更衣，都是女僕幫忙。鑑於大多數人都是右利手，把釦子放在左側方便站在對面的人幫你穿衣。

As for men’s shirts, there are a few competing theories as to why buttons are on the right side. But as a general rule, many elements of men’s fashion can be traced back to the military. Once again, the right-handed assumption played a role since access to a weapon practically trumped everything - a firearm tucked inside a shirt would be easier to reach from the dominant side.

男襯衫釦子爲什麼在右側，各種解釋很多。但總的來講，很多男性衣着的設計歷史上都受到行軍打仗的影響。這次，又是“右利手假說”可以解釋 —— 釦子設計在右側的話，右手從釦子縫裏伸進去拿別在襯衫裏的槍是最方便的。

舒適性

專欄作家Lucy Rycroft-Smith曾在石英網撰文吐槽“爲什麼男裝都設計得那麼舒服？”

For most of my life, I’ve worn clothing that leaves a mark. Bra straps nip at my shoulders; the backs of my shoes dig into my skin. Pantyhose leaves red rings around my stomach at the end of the day—glaring, and just as affecting, as felt-tip marks from a plastic surgeon.

我人生大部分時間穿的東西都是會在我身上留下印記的那種。文胸肩帶會勒肩膀，鞋子後跟會磨腳後跟，穿一天下來，連褲襪會在肚子上勒出紅紅的一圈印子，觸目驚心，而且更可憐的是，勒出來的印子就像是整形手術前畫的線似的。

Then, several months ago, I began wearing men’s clothing. Among the major advantages I’ve discovered so far: Plentiful pockets, simpler dressing decisions, and easier temperature control. But the biggest revelation for me was the huge difference in my physical and emotional comfort.

幾個月前我開始穿男裝，發現了很多好處：口袋很多、穿衣選擇很簡單，想要暖和或涼快也很容易調節。但最讓我驚訝的是我的身體感覺更舒服了，心情也更好了。

Like a lot of women, I’ve long been accustomed to scrambling out of my clothes at the end of the workday as fast as possible. Being off-duty meant taking off my high heels, stripping off my tights, shedding underwear and anything with a waistband. After unbuttoning, unzipping, and peeling off my clothing, I’d breathe a huge sigh, signaling my physical and mental release. Yet despite this nightly ritual, I usually took the discomfort and constrictions of women’s clothing for granted.

與大多數女人一樣，每個工作日一結束，我就要奮力把自己從衣服裏解救出來，動作越快越好。這種情況我都習慣很久了。下班後，立馬脫掉高跟鞋，脫掉緊身褲襪和內衣，反正就是把所有勒腰的都脫掉。解完釦子，扯開拉鍊，脫掉這些之後，我就會長出一口氣，總算可以讓身體和腦子都休息休息了。但是你看，就算是每晚要來這麼一通，我還是把女人穿衣的那些束縛與不舒適當做了理所當然。

Nor did I consider its chafing effects on my mind. A lot of my clothing never quite fit me—instead, I had to make sure I fit it. Wearing an off-shoulder shirt or a silk dress meant constant fidgeting and adjusting. Every mirror, shop window, or reflective surface was an opportunity to check my appearance; every glimpse was a disappointment. The threat of gaping, riding up, and puckering was ever-present.

我之前也沒想過這些穿衣規矩對我的心理有哪些負面影響。我的很多衣服都不適合我——相反，我得努力保證我能適合它們！穿露肩衫或者絲質裙意味着我得不斷地去調整、捏扯。每當路過鏡子、商店櫥窗，或者任何反光表面，我都會抓住機會檢查自己的着裝。但其實每看一次都會挑出毛病來，一不小心就走光，裙子上滑，或者衣服起皺。

男裝的困境

同樣的，不只是女性不滿女裝的設計，也有人對市面上的主流男裝不太感冒。

專欄作家Alice O'Keeffe在《衛報》撰文講述自己給兒子買衣服的經歷，顏色的選擇少得可憐。如果小朋友的衣服都這麼無聊，可以想見成年人的衣櫃應該就跳不出“黑白灰”。

I completely understand parents of girls objecting to endless pink and princess dresses. But perhaps the situation is almost worse for boys. At least girls get a bit of choice. What does this weird lack of diversity tell us about what we expect boys to be? Boring, conformist, dull, practical – or worse.

我完全理解女孩們的父母不願意讓自己的小孩永遠穿粉色，打扮得跟公主似的。但是或許男孩子面臨的選擇更加糟糕吧。女孩至少還有顏色選擇。男孩的衣着顏色少得可憐，這是要我們把小孩培養成什麼樣兒？無聊、墨守成規、古板、實用主義，抑或更糟？

Staring at the deathly rows of mini-suits I was reminded of Grayson Perry's book on gender, The Descent of Man, and in particular his idea of “default man”, the archetype of the wealthy, powerful and besuited white male. Perry — a man who knows a thing or two about clothing —has a lot to say about suits. “The real function of the sober business suit is not to look smart but as camouflage,” he writes. “A person in a grey suit is invisible.”

看着那排顏色單調的小西裝，我想起了Grayson Perry寫的關於性別的書《男人的墜落》，裏面提到“男人的默認設置”——有錢、有權、身着套裝的白人。Perry作爲一個還算了解穿搭的男性，對西裝可是很有話說：“樸素的商務西裝的真正功能並不是讓人覺得好看，而是作爲僞裝保護色而存在的——穿灰西裝的人是隱形的。”

This is the message high-street fashion is sending to young boys: That they should aim not to express themselves but to don a kind of cloak of invisibility. Why? It’s not as though men are genetically programmed to want to look dull. In many cultures, men’s fashion is as colorful and glamorous as women’s. Go back a couple of centuries or so to when wealthy European men would have worn sumptuous colors and fabrics, jewelry and even high heels.

這也就是高街時尚傳遞給男孩們的信息：你們不應該打扮得顯眼，而應該披上一身隱形斗篷。這是幹嘛呢？男人的基因裏又沒規定他們要穿死板無聊的色調。很多文化中的男性時尚跟女性時尚一樣多彩鮮豔富有魅力。幾個世紀前，富裕的歐洲男性就會打扮得豔麗無比，穿金戴銀，還穿高跟鞋呢。

Fortunately, we now have other options. After a reviving bun in the local cafe, my son and I went home and hit the internet. And there, readers, we found our happy ending: An outfit so outrageous, so loud and silly and glorious, that there was simply no way to resist.

很幸運最後我和兒子找到了他想要的衣服。在商場一家餐廳裏吃完蛋糕補充體力後，我跟兒子回到家就打開了電腦。讀者們，我們在網上找到了令人滿意的服裝：那件衣服很鮮豔浮誇，甚至有點蠢蠢的，根本沒辦法拒絕嘛。

Who knows how long my boy’s commitment to bright red will last – perhaps in a couple of years he will join the navy-blue crowd. But I hope not. Life can be tough, and we all need to find joy where we can. It’s not only girls who benefit from a touch of glitz and glamour.

不過誰又知道我家小孩兒對大紅色的喜愛會持續多久呢。或許過不了幾年，他就會加入“海軍藍陣營”。但我不希望發生這種事。生活已經如此艱難，所有人都需要尋找快樂。能從華麗服裝裏獲得滿足感的可不能只是女孩們啊。

消費主義的狂歡在這兩天達到頂峯。

你或許清空了裝着十幾個商品的購物車，也可能忙着自己的事完全無暇參與這個千億項目。

如果攔不住自己剁手的慾望，至少想清楚自己真正想穿的是什麼樣的衣服。

Notes

capacious / kəˈpeɪʃəs / adj容積大的，寬敞的

herring / ˈherɪŋ / n鯡魚

knuckle / ˈnʌkl / n指節，指關節

pantyhose / ˈpæntihoʊz / n連褲襪，緊身褲

pucker / ˈpʌkər / v皺起，使起褶子

conformist / kənˈfɔːrmɪst / n順從者，隨波逐流者

archetype / ˈɑːkitaɪp /典型

sumptuous / ˈsʌmptʃuəs / adj華貴的，豪華的，奢華的

glitz /ɡlɪts / n耀眼，華麗