What a wonderful start to the day! Her Three Messages From Her Colleagues Inviting You To Read Rosie Talbot’s Powerful Article On The Freedom And Joy Of Pockets (The Moment That Changed Me: January 18th, A Pocket Big Enough To Hold A Bottle Of Wine) started wearing skirts with Rosie concluded her article with the working title of my PhD, “Thank you, I have pockets.”
Rosie perfectly captures the essence of the pocket problem, highlighting the lengths women’s wearers must go to to ensure functional pockets.
My PhD research explores how people talk about their pockets on social media and the insights gained through the lens of the pocket into the unseen elements of everyday life. I follow the historical pocket scholars Barbara Berman and Ariane Fenetou (who wrote The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women’s Lives, 1660-1900) and pursue pocket knowledge, but after 1900, I’m disappointed that things aren’t going so well.
The pocket themes identified in my research via Twitter are similar to those in existing pocket literature, revealing women’s desire for freedom, safety, and security. It turns out that some women adopt the “no pockets, no purchases” rule. Or, like Rosie, you’re resourceful at sewing or adapting existing pockets. Rosie’s approach of employing Tion her pocket is an extreme but excellent solution to the pocket problem. Her account of the huge impact this change has had not only on her lifestyle, but has helped reassess social expectations and build like-minded communities is inspiring. , not such a trivial detail.
Ruth Eaton
Lecturer in Contextual StudiesManchester School of Art
