Why can girls wear trousers and shirts

[Pantygirdle]

But us boys wore skirts and frocks called weird, why the discrimination

It’s just cultural. Men in Sri Lanka wear ‘skirts’ and dresses in Saudi Arabia.

Because in a patriarchy men have higher status than women, so women dressing like men is cool, while men look ridiculous dressing like women.

Sexism is complicated.

This.

Dressing as a woman is seen as lesser so its viewed as weird for a man to lower himself to that

It was originally seen as weird and manly for women to wear trousers, however we persisted 😉 and it eventually became acceptable.
Maybe men will do the same? I'm all for men wearing whatever they want to tbh.

This.
Wearing masculine clothes is moving up in status, female is moving down.

As a PP said, sexism... for the same reason, there's currently a fashion in some circles to give girls traditionally male names like 'James', but you wouldn't see a boy named Sue (to quote the song!). Feminine things are seen as 'lesser' in our society, even on an unconscious level.

Is this supposed to be some hot take??

Because in a patriarchy men have higher status than women, so women dressing like men is cool, while men look ridiculous dressing like women.

Sexism is complicated.

This. But also it was once seen as unacceptable for women to wear trousers. Women were pretty keen to wear stereotypically male clothing, because it was practical, comfortable and didn't hurt. And so things changed. Women don't look ridiculous in trousers, because it's been the norm for them to wear them for a long time now.

Well also, trousers and boots are much more comfortable and warm and practical than dresses and high heels. So it’s natural that many women would gravitate to wearing them day to day. A man who wants to wear dresses and heels…the reasoning behind it might be less clear and therefore more suspect.

Interesting thread. Does anyone know about the history of women wearing trousers particularly in Britain?

Normalised to a certain extent with some working women in WW1 (coal carriers, motorbike messengers) and radical types in the 20s, but otherwise unacceptable. Became more common again in WW2, and then worn afterwards, though not in every situation. Many employers did not allow women to wear trousers well into the 1970s.

Women generally wear trousers tailored for the female form. Men only look ridiculous in dresses when they wear women's dresses. A man in a dress tailored for the male body can look just as elegant and masculine as a man in trousers. But, yes, patriarchal status prejudices over-ride all this, because, even in countries where both men and women wear some form of robe that is not divided into trousers, it is seen as inappropriate and demeaning for men to wear clothes that are traditionally worn by women.

If you want to do it, go do it. If you're too scared, then that's an illustration of the problem. Women had to be assertive for the right to wear trousers and other stuff. The US Congress only allowed women to do so in the 1990s, which is partially why you see Hillary Clinton dressed so formally. It's a recently won right. Further back in time women faced abuse. Be as brave and courageous as those women

Maireas that all makes perfect sense. I remember when i started work, a trousers suit (which i loved) was still deemed unacceptable by many employers for interviews, infact not sure if that has changed.

Dilbertian 100% agree.

I think it's covered to some extent in a book called dressing the resistance, but I could be wrong. I've watched and read quite a lot on the subject of clothing. No doubt some YouTube videos will cover it.

It starts in the late 19th century with bloomers. The leap straight to trousers is a little bit too radical to do at once. Then one of the fashion brands goes for it in the 20s or 30s and causes a stink but the trend continues from there and becomes unstoppable. I think some women actually faced abuse and physical violence actually, early on

Lots of men and boys in 'dresses' in many U.K. cities, particularly on Fridays.

Who says it's weird?

That's right, @Askil I remember we weren't allowed to wear trousers to go to church, and of course they weren't part of school uniform. My mother never owned a pair.

Well you can wear whatever you want, no one's stopping you. Women weren't always "allowed" to wear traditional men's clothes either, but that recently changed. Maybe it will for men too.

I agree. If you feel it's "discrimination", challenge and fight that, as girls and women had to.

Us girls weren't allowed to wear trousers to school in winter, we'd be freezing in our bare legs and skirts but the boys would be warmer in their trousers. It's good to see many schools now allow girls to wear trousers if they choose.

When I did work experience in the 90s, in a furniture shop, I was told off on the first day for wearing trousers. I don't think I even owned a skirt at that time, or a dress. I had to buy something, ridiculously

Interesting choice of user name.

Wear what you want.

Interesting username, @Pantygirdle ….

Have you tried asking the same question on a site that's not mainly female, OP?

I suspect a significant subset of men unfortunately would think you're 'weird' - probably because of their homophobia (whether or not you are gay).

You can. Purchase a dress and go wear it, no one will stop you. Whether you'll look as good as Harry Styles in his heels and ball gown is another matter.