Trousers without Pockets

The work “Trousers without Pockets” shows how gender stereotypes affect the design of clothing and what this in turn says about social hierarchies: the floor vase, reminiscent of the curves of a “shapely” bottom, is clad in a suit made of denim pants. Dummy iPhones protrude from a few pockets; however, many of the pockets are not usable, but merely attached or sewn shut. In fact, many pants designed for women have no pockets to put anything in – nothing should bulge or bulge out and distract from the figure-hugging silhouette. The iPhones protruding from the pockets refer to the debates surrounding the iPhone manufacturer Apple, which was criticized for presenting the 6.5-inch iPhone Xs Max, a smartphone that cannot be used with one hand by the average woman, while production of the 4-inch iPhone SE was to be discontinued.

When author Seraphine Meya saw this sculpture, a quote from Mirna Funk came to mind: “Female independence can only work with financial independence.” There’s certainly no room for a fat wallet or a car key in these pants …

(Statement by Dr. Nicole Grothe, Museum Ostwall)

This work is part of a series dealing with the gender data gap.