We all have heard of the controversy over women’s jeans before. The pockets are either too small to fit a wallet, they are too tight in all the wrong areas, and the sizing seems differ from brand to brand. I have experienced first-hand the horrors of women’s jeans, but have also experienced the realm of men’s jeans. For Christmas one year, my brother decided to give me his old pair of skinny jeans. An odd present, right? Well, let me tell you, it was the best present that I was ever given. From then on, I have only worn men’s jeans. Since I have been in both worlds in terms of pants, I can confidently compare the two based off of my experiences.
With women’s pants, it is hard to find a decent fit. I am on the skinny side when it comes to pants. There is, luckily, a large selection of jeans of a variety of brands that cater to my size. This does not make finding a good pair of jeans any easier. Many brands seem to have their size chart slightly different from each other, so what might fit me in one brand may not fit me in another. Skinny jeans have also always been too skinny to me. I feel suffocated in the waist area and have no room in my groin. I have always gone for the straight cut jeans, which has always been the best choice for me. The legs are not too tight, I have room to breathe in my waist, and I do not feel like the jeans are forcing me to have the thigh gap of Spongebob Squarepants. The downside to every pair of women’s jeans, though, are the pockets. Sometimes the pockets do not even exist, and if they do, my wallet can only fit halfway into it. Anything that I put in those pockets feels like they are going to pop out as soon as I sit down. Another downside has been that the pants tend to get holes easily. This might be because I buy the cheaper brands, but the fabric has always seemed thinner and holes in the thighs always show up after six months of continuous wear. The only positive thing I have found from women’s jeans is that it defines the form of my legs. I do not feel like my legs are two rectangles walking around wearing them.
With men’s pants, it has been a glorious experience. The greatest thing about men’s pants are the pockets. I have never been one to carry a purse so being able to fit everything I need into my pockets has been amazing. In one pocket alone I can fit my phone, wallet, keys, loose change, lip stick, headphones, a pocket watch, and random trash I accumulated throughout the day. The pants also last a long time. This might depend on the brand, but I have found men’s jeans to be thicker and more resilient to holes. I have yet to develop any holes or tears in any of my men’s jeans. Because I am skinny, I feel like I have to wear the skinny jeans style in order for the pants to not be baggy. But, unlike women’s skinny jeans, there is a lot of breathing room. Another downside is that these pants are catered to men’s bodies, not women’s. It takes trying on several different pairs of several different brands to find the pair that works best for you, but it is no different than what women have to do with trying on women’s jeans anyways. The butt region of men’s jeans is also very flat. The butt area of my jeans sags at least a quarter inch further than my butt. The groin area is also very roomy. It is a great contrast to the tightness of women’s skinny jeans, but any time I sit the zipper area bulges outward. I also always have to wear a belt and because I tighten it a lot, the waist band is very scrunched up. I have to hide my waist band by wearing a shirt over it because of this. The pants legs can also end up being too long, but this is an easy fix with either hemming or cuffing the jeans.
Overall, having a lot of breathing room, being able to fit anything I want in my pockets, and having thicker fabric are the reasons why I have switched to men’s jeans. There are pros and cons to both, but I feel like the pros outweigh the cons. I have been rocking my men’s skinny jeans for almost a year now, and I doubt I will ever go back to women’s jeans.