Have you ever noticed that the buttons close differently on men and women? Men’s shirts have buttons on the right, women’s on the left. But why? I dived in.
In the photo on the left, you see a woman’s blouse with the buttons fastened on the left side. The photo on the right shows a man’s shirt, so the buttons are on the right side.
Children, horses, war, or the way of dressing?
Unfortunately, there is no unequivocal answer. There are several theories about this difference.
The first explanation is that most women are right-handed and often carry their children on the left arm. Their right hand would be free to unbutton the blouse to breastfeed. The second is that women used to sit on a horse with their legs to the left. Placing the buttons on the left side reduced the quantity of air flowing in. The third explanation is that during war men carried their swords in their right hand. So they had the left hand free to close buttons if they opened. And that was easier when buttons were on the right side.
The most logical explanation is that during the Renaissance and Victorian era, women wore many layers of clothing. Men dressed themselves and therefore had to tie their own buttons. But maids dressed women and placing the buttons on the left side made it easier to dress a woman.
I think all four theories could be right. What do you think?
Greetings,