Alongside the infamous bra hooks, women\u2019s buttons are one of the challenges eager men face when it comes to undressing their partner. While it may not seem obvious at first, women’s clothing usually has buttons on the left; the opposite of the typical men’s shirt! It\u2019s not just there as a challenge during foreplay, but the reason is quite bizarre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Buttons started out as mostly decorative since most clothing had laces, straps or ties. They started appearing in the 13th century and were popular in mens clothing. Men’s clothing was less likely to require lacing compared to women’s dresses and corsets. Given that most people are right-handed, having buttons on the right side was logical. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was several hundred years before women’s clothing began to incorporate buttons regularly. Most women’s clothing had laces, like corsets or shoulder straps like pinafores. Upper-class women often wore layered clothing; like undergarments, chemises, corsets and blouses. As such, they often had maids who helped them dress. When buttons became popular amongst the wealthy, they were placed on the left side for women’s clothing. This was under the assumption that most maids were right-hand dominant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even as buttons became part of normal dress and maids were less common, the tradition and expectation for women’s clothing to have them on the left side persisted. In the present day, placement isn\u2019t as important as back then. While having the buttons on the right side may be easier, most women have been buttoning up shirts on the left side since school so are well-practised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n