Being a girl is pretty much the same galleys regardless of the era (except that you can’t really be burned for witchcraft anymore). It is rightly said that there are plenty of everyday things that were not designed for women and it is true. Even these objects which are used today more by women in our societies were in fact designed for men at the base.
1. Sanitary napkins
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Because it would be too easy to think of a nifty and practical thing for women who bleed every month, sanitary napkins were first invented for the purpose of stopping the bleeding of wounded soldiers. Nothing to add.
2. Heels
Initially, high-heeled shoes were mainly used by soldiers so that they could wedge themselves into their stirrups when riding horses. Then they were used by kings to look taller (another shot at the toxic masculinity this story).
3. Stockings
There was a good time when stockings were mainly used by men to dress when they rode horses. Today, this piece is mainly used by women under a skirt, a dress or under pants in winter (yes, I throw secrets like that).
4. Yoga
Yoga is a very ancient male practice carried out by the Brahmans, the sages of the castes in India. They were indeed considered men of knowledge. It was once exported to the West that this sport became more feminine, even if yoga is actually good and is obviously not a question of gender.
5. Thongs
Previously, strings were not worn by women but by men who used them as loincloths. In 1991, we also found a mummy, named “Ötzi”, 5,300 years old, wearing a thong. Considering the discomfort of the thing, no one should have to wear a thong, no matter their gender.
6. Skirts
The practical side of skirts? They make the legs free of all movements. This explains why men were the first to wear them when they had to go into battle. Yes, because it’s more practical to smash your enemy in a skirt than in skinny jeans. Shoutout to the Scots who always wear kilts these bg.
7. Crop tops
The crop top is one of those inventions originally intended for a single gender, and here, that of men. Indeed, athletes (and especially bodybuilders) cut off the bottom of their T-shirts and their shirts to show their bodies without derogating from the dress code of sports halls which prohibited them from training without clothes. A crop top or a tank top, frankly, the choice is quickly made.
8. Handbags
Basically, purses were meant to be used to carry cash by their small size. If it’s back in fashion among men, it is especially women who have worn them in recent years because bags have become more aesthetic than practical (like no one would carry only two one-euro coins in their handbag).
9. UGG Boots
These boots created by an Australian were normally used by surfers to keep their feet warm after a surf session. It only became a women’s pair in the 2000s, when high fashion brands and celebrities promoted these boots. Today they have sunk into oblivion and that’s not so bad.
10. Leggings
Leggings, which are nowadays almost exclusively worn by women, were men’s clothing a long time ago. They were indeed used to dress the nobles when they abandoned skirts and dresses. Yes, the tight-fitting panties of Louis XIV were the ancestor of leggings.
11. Makeup
In ancient Egypt, make-up, and in particular the kohl pencil, was used by men (and a little also by women) to protect and care for their eyes. All the kings and queens of the time were also made up. Before the revolution, men also wore makeup to show their wealth, since taking care of one’s appearance was a sign of nobility.
12. Gynecological stirrups
Those super creepy iron stirrups that give many chicks nightmares in their sleep were actually used by doctors to remove men’s bladder stones (watch out, gory detail) by cutting under the testicles and through the prostate. Good appetite to you too.
