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FEATURES THE ROSE BOWL
FLEA MARKET By KIRA CAMACHO
Staff Writer
If you’re looking for something fun to do over the summer, a day at the Rose Bowl flea market should be on your list. On the second Sunday of every month, vendors from all around Orange County come together to sell various trinkets and treasures. You could find anything from a vintage pair of shoes to a rare Pokemon card. The outdoor market, hosted by R.G. Canning, is one of the largest flea markets around with over 2,500 vendors. Most of these vendors don’t take card, so remember to bring cash. The market is split up into different colors to organize vendors: pink, purple, red, blue, and yellow. There is also a white area, which is for parking. A lot of people bring their vintage cars to the flea market, so look around! In the pink, blue, and red areas, you’ll find new merchandise. Usually, these areas are the most expensive of the whole flea market. New small businesses will usually be found here, selling everything from handmade clothes to wonderfullyscented candle sculptures. In the orange area, you’ll find antiques and collectibles. This section is sort of hidden,
the first time I went I didn’t get to spend too much time in this area because I only found it at the last minute. It’s quite a big area, and you’ll find all the antique trinkets you’d ever need here. Sometimes you can even catch the vintage Doc Martens booth. You’ll see art, records, old record players, and maybe even your grandmother’s jewelry. In the white area is vintage and general merchandise. This is the first area you walk into when you go through the gates of the market. The first thing you see are free flea market maps and packs of matches. On the vintage side of things, you’ll find old keys, tupperwares, and other irresistible knick knacks. Once, I found a plethora of Simpsons merchandise. Lastly, in the yellow area you’ll find more new and general merchandise. You might find your newest succulent, or Funko Pop figure. If you’re a fan of vintage clothes, racks and racks of T-shirts, denim, hawaiian shirts, and leather can be found here. Usually, the vintage clothes are priced quite affordably. The next Rose Bowl flea will be on Jun. 12, so mark your calendar! Admission is $12 for general admission from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. There’s also VIP tickets, which include early admission from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. for $20. You can find tickets online on the Rose Bowl website. Happy shopping!
kcamacho@arcadiaquill.com Photo courtesy of COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG Graphics courtesy of FREEPIK.COM
arcadiaquill.com
MAY 2022
THE HISTORY BEHIND WOMEN’S POCKETS By VANESSA VALENTINO Staff Writer As a girl, I can never comfortably fit my phone, wallet, or much of anything else into my pocket. Inexplicably, this is an issue that encompasses the entire female gender. On any social media app, you can find a woman raving about a dress’ pockets or complaining about the lack thereof in all her other pants. Meanwhile, men’s pockets easily fit a phone and a wallet, with plenty of room to spare. For no clear reason, there’s a large gap between the room in men’s pockets versus women’s. Although many have theorized about companies’ tactics to sell women more purses, the more tangible reason for this inequality lies in the evolution of fashion and problematic views of gender. In the Medieval era, men and women were equal pocket-wise, and both wore fanny-pack-like bags around their waist. These “external pockets” would be hidden under clothing and accessed through slits cut in jackets, petticoats, and dresses. Like a small purse, the external pockets were able to fit a lot: things like food, money, sewing kits, writing materials, and keys. In the late seventeenth century, pockets became permanently sewn into men’s clothing. Women’s pockets, on the other hand, did not follow, marking the beginning of the gender divide in pockets. Although this wasn’t a problem at first, fashion during the French Revolution began to cater more towards formfitting dresses and skirts, posing a new challenge. The pouchy pockets of the mid-eighteenth century were unsuitable for the new trends, so women’s options for storage had to change accordingly. By the end of the 1700s, reticules and chatelaines replaced their bulky counterparts. Reticules were decorated purses that were comparatively miniscule, and chatelaines were waist chains that put women’s belongings on full display. Despite their varying inconveniences, other options were sacrificed to maintain a good silhouette. During the French Revolution, concepts of property, privacy, and propriety were extensively challenged. Because women’s pockets were private, they indicated a sort of freedom, and taking pockets away
would successfully take away this freedom. Moreover, women’s pockets were deemed unnecessary, since it was common for husbands to carry the money and necessities. As fashion continued to evolve, women’s clothing began to permanently integrate pockets, like how men’s had decades before. However, unlike men’s perfected pockets, women’s pockets were impractical. In dresses, they were put in uncomfortable places, like at the hem of a skirt. During the World Wars in the 20th cen-
tury, women’s pants pockets were finally sufficient—until women’s clothing evolved again, and slenderness became the priority. Thus, functional pockets were compromised for a better figure. “The privilege of having decent sized pockets should not be privy to just men’s clothing,” said freshman Hally Nguyen. “Most women I know carry almost twice the amount men have on their person. In the new world where things are changing, we should take this step in improving equality and the lives of men and women in general.” While men’s pockets are designed for utility, women’s pockets are designed for beauty. This choice, conscious or not, only iterates the idea that women exist to be looked at, rather than to do something of importance. Even if this message is unintentional, themes in the French Revolution confirm how sexism has been instilled into history and, accordingly, into our clothing, too.
vvalentino@arcadiaquill.com Photo courtesy of Jessica Jaeger Graphic courtesy of FREEPIK.COM
