Boyfriend Trousers? I Want Jewess Jeans.
Yesterday after work, I went on a search for a birthday gift for a 16-year-old girl. After looking at some books, crafts, scarves and jewelry (from the Fair Trade stores in town), I decided to take a peek in the GAP. Right in the entry way of the store, front and center, was a stand (accompanied by a large sign) displaying the GAP's newest khaki merchandise: "boyfriend trousers" and "tailored boyfriend". Both kinds of "boyfriends" are rather baggy, heavily starched, and seem to ride the hips of the models lucky enough to have them.
Now, I do not have a boyfriend, so I can't say that this wear-your-boyfriend marketing technique is particularly effective for me. But maybe it works for others. Perhaps if you don't have a boyfriend but really want one, these khaki boyfriends can fill the void? Or if you do have a boyfriend, perhaps he will be turned on and/or jealous when he sees "tailored boyfriend" cradling your butt? Or perhaps these khakis are supposed to make you feel like your boyfriend? Or feel like a boy? Maybe they are just supposed to remind us all of the boyfriends we can and should have since (a) there aren't any married women who shop at the GAP and (b) every GAP customer shopping in the women's section feels emotionally connected to a "boyfriend." Right? Wrong.
As I made my way through the store, I thought to myself: if Jane Doe can have a pair of "boyfriend trousers," I want a pair of Gilda Radner's "Jewess Jeans." Though controversial for some who think of "Jewess Jeans" as reinforcing the Jewish American Princess (JAP) stereotype, the Jewess identity actually resonates with me (and, in denim, it makes me laugh). So, if today's clothing stores are stocked with boyfriends and Che Guevaras, why can't Jewesses join them on the racks?
When I returned home, having bought nothing for the 16-year-old girl or for myself (except for a haircut), I went online to the GAP website and wrote a note in their "tell us what you think" section. I asked the GAP if it might consider selling "husbands" and "wives" in addition to "boyfriends" or if it had occurred to them to market "girlfriend trousers" in the women's section and "tailored boyfriends" in the men's. I also asked if they would consider carrying "z-friend" merchandise to represent clientele who identify as neither male or female. Finally, I thanked the GAP for giving me the opportunity to shop for a wearable human identity and I asked if there were any chance that Jewess Jeans would appear in their Spring line.
Comments
I don't get it either
I've seen "boyfriend jeans" advertised before in other stores, and I have never understood what that's supposed to mean. Does it make me cooler if people think the pants I'm wearing belong to my boyfriend? Why should that matter at all?
Let us know if you get a response from the GAP.
Boyfiend fits are the best of both worlds
They call these pants Boyfriend Jeans/Trousers because they are a fit like men's clothing but cut for women. They are for girls like me who do not like the skinny and flared fits of women's clothing. I used to shop in the men's section and as a size 2, they are WAY too big for me. I was overexcited when they came out with boyfriend fits.
So much for boyfriend jeans
I am sure you will be happy to hear that the boyfriend jean has been discontinued at the Gap. So much for controversy. I do have to agree that these jeans were excellent for women who do not like wearing tight legged fitting jeans.
So long to my boyfriend! I'm sorry I only got one pair.
I do have to agree that
I do have to agree that these jeans were excellent for women who do not like wearing tight legged fitting jeans.
Oh please
GAP Pants: Now there something everyone can enjoy!
My boyfriend really likes it when I wear his shirts; he very frankly told me he finds it quite sexy. Now, he’s never expressed this same excitement about me throwing on a pair of his pants, khakis or sweats. I get the impression—and everyone out there should feel free to correct me—that this excitement is a subtle expression of possession...
Wearing a man’s clothing in public signals to others who might be interested “that one’s taken” -- all the while a sneaky little smirk grows on the face of the article’s owner because he’s thinking, “that one’s mine.” And while I’m struggling to think of a reciprocal pattern in men wearing women’s clothing to give off this aura of possession, I am certainly aware that I am territorial in my thinking about him.
But what are we as women saying when we choose to buy pants that are specifically designed to be like men’s pants? Because with GAP it’s less about possession and more about being trendy or professional… Are men’s cut pants more professional? Is it trendy to appear taken?
I tried that and it didn't work
I tried to put on my girlfriend's shirt, but she wouldn't let me since she said I'd stretch it out.
Better together
Great post! Thank you for sharing. I think that "boyfriend trousers" would look splendid with a "wife-beater"! I'll never understand why marketers at the GAP and other clothing stores thought that "wife-beater" was an acceptable name for a shirt.
terrific post! it's amazing
terrific post! it's amazing how much identity can be infused into clothing... and ironic that the GAP with its products for (RED)using AIDS in Africa and inducing anorexia ( skinny leg jeans) has often fallen into the spotlight...
K... just responding to some
K... just responding to some of the previous comments made
firstly, buying skinny jeans does not imply at all that you have to be skinny to wear them. There are numerous articles about finding the kind of skinny jean that looks good on any type of body, including a curvy body. Secondly, just because it's called a skinny jean does not mean that it supports being annorexic at all
And about the boyfriend jean, it's just refering to the cut of the jean. I would love to wear a pair of pants that look like guy pants just because they look so comfortable. It doesn't have to do with possession or anything like that at all.
The name of a cut of jean is just that, it's name. It doesn't denote the type of person who should be wearing that jean at all.
I agree that gap's boyfriend
Are you serious?
"Boyfriend cut" is totally about the fit. This posting is ridiculous for not seeing that. Some of us women just don't have those hippy, twiggy-pop figures and need jeans that fit more like men's. I am very athletic and lack hips and since my thighs are more muscular than the typical woman's, I can not fit into typical women's jeans. My waist size is a 27-28 and if i buy a size 2 or 4 in womens, they are WAY too big in the waist as they were made for someone with hips. So having the option to buy a pair of pants geared more for my body type is a blessing! I went 5 years without being able to find a pair of jeans that fit properly! So go ahead and rag on the style or pretend that you don't know what "boyfriend cut" means because you think it's cute. Everyone else seems to recognize they the name of the jean refers to the style...you can't tell me you get confused about "boot cut" and then write Gap suggesting they come up with a "high heel" or "sneaker" cut.
I agree
I think its nice for women to wear these jeans, they are good looking, not too expensive and comfortable. Good article.
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