Winter is here and with it comes the age-old relationship debate: why do women need more winter clothing then men? The answer is simple: because we do.
Don’t blame women. Blame the demands of the fashion trends thrust upon us by the commercialization of winter (back me up here, ladies). Yes, that’s right, female consumers are victims of the season and the pressure to be dressed properly for every occasion. This is beyond our control.
Let me tell you how this argument plays out at my house. When it came time to pull out the winter coats this year, I had five. The Carpenter was quick to point out the inequality in our closet space consumption. It seemed the ratio of our winter coats was 5:1. Finally, I won something.
Foolishly, the Carpenter spoke his frustration aloud and naturally, I had a perfectly sensible response.
Let the record show all of my coats have a distinct purpose. First of all, my coats are all several years old (but I’m not bitter). I just had to make that declaration to prove that I haven’t been on a shopping spree. This is not about greed, I explained. This is about the commercialization of winter (remember?).
My purple coat is my everyday around-the-town coat; casual yet warm, long enough to keep old man winter from nipping at my backside and purple because I wanted colour against my sunless face. I bought that coat at a Boxing Day sale.
My black puffy coat is a huge, shapeless down-filled design, reserved for the frozen tundra of the arenas and equestrian barns. I bought this coat at the end-of-season sale, after watching my son’s hockey game in Hillsburgh (the coldest arena in Wellington County).
The poppy red pea coat for autumn has now been replaced by the military style pea coat. Neither is warm, but both look much nicer than a ski-jacket for work.
The brown swing coat was a gift that I’ve had for 20 years. It’s a classic dress coat (you don’t mess with a classic). And finally, there is the outdoor adventure coat that is also 20 years old, saved for tobogganing and snow fort construction. It’s ugly but it’s warm.
Much like the winter jacket situation, I have boots for sloshing about every day, boots for the barn, boots for more formal occasions with a nice heel, and boots for the Hillsburgh arena (seriously, it’s cold). Oh, and there are the impractical boots; non-insulated and not waterproof, but the last grasp of cool fashion boots left in my wardrobe.
Is it my fault the Carpenter has one winter coat and one pair of boots? No, it’s not. He knows where the mall is. Besides, he’s a guy. Nobody notices what coat he’s wearing and he has a ball cap for every occasion, and apparently, that’s okay. He simply cannot relate to the wardrobe pressures I feel as a woman. Winter commercialization strikes again.
Don’t take me seriously. I realize I am lucky to have more than one coat when many go without. I have donated several gently used coats to the Centre Wellington Food Bank. If you have coats you don’t wear, somebody else can use them. Donate your old coats to a community group. We all deserve a little warmth.