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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!wlcrjs!zubbie
From: zubbie@wlcrjs.UUCP (Jeanette Zobjeck)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Shirt buttons
Message-ID: <675@wlcrjs.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 16-Apr-85 15:42:56 EST
Article-I.D.: wlcrjs.675
Posted: Tue Apr 16 15:42:56 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 17-Apr-85 01:42:20 EST
References: <1649@decwrl.UUCP>
Reply-To: zubbie@wlcrjs.UUCP (Jeanette Zobjeck)
Organization: chi-net, Public Access UN*X, Chicago IL
Lines: 37
Summary: 

In article <1649@decwrl.UUCP> clayton@satan.DEC writes:
>This has been bugging me lately...
>
>Does anyone know why (historically and currently) women's shirts button
>right over left and men's button left over right (or is it vice versa)?
>Why make the thing differently depending on who is supposed to wear it?
>
>Elizabeth Clayton
>...decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-satan!clayton


Historically women had a "lady in waiting" or a "ladies maid" 
to help them dress. Since Lefthandedness was frowned on it 
was only natural that clothing should be fabricated for the
right handed person, and continues to be so today. 
Since, while a man may have had a valet to set out his clothes
for him he rarely if every needed help in dressing himself
(I know a few exceptions) while a ladies clothes were more
complex and usually could not be worn properly if at all
without assisantance in donning them. For this reason the
buttons on women's garments are put on to make it easier for
the person actually assumed to be doing the buttoning
and the same goes for men's clothing.



Jeanette L. Zobjeck

       wlcrjs!
ihnp4!<       >zubbie
       ihlpa!

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From the mostly vacant environment of  Jeanette L. Zobjeck (ihnp4!wlcrjs!zubbie)

All opinions expressed may not even be my own.
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