Breeches are knee-length shorts with a long history in Western culture, worn by men until women began pushing gender boundaries. Today, pants are a practical and fashionable clothing item for all genders, including for horseback riding.
Breeches are a style of shorts, reaching only to the knees. Often worn with stockings, the cuffs can be held closed at the knee with buckles, buttons, strings, or ties. These pants have a long history in Western culture. They have been used several times in Spanish, Greek, German and English history. This type of pants even dates back to the Viking Age, with Ragnar Hairy Breeks – Ragnar Hairy-Breeches – being the nickname given to a famous Viking warrior.
From the 16th to the 18th century, breeches were viewed as men’s clothing, as women were often prohibited from wearing trousers. Pants were so emphatically a male item of clothing that the phrase “wear pants” was coined to describe a woman running the household in place of her husband, similar to the current phrase “wear pants.” They were also used as a symbolic right of passage, as a “boy” graduated when a male child graduated from wearing the baby suit of a long dress to wearing small size pants.
With the advent of bloomers, a form of pant-like undergarment worn under skirts, women began to push the gender boundaries of fashion. Tight breeches were also an indicator of class in 18th century France, where they were worn by the aristocracy. Sailboats, farmers, and other workers whose jobs required a great deal of physical movement wore looser-fitting clothing. After the French Revolution, when the aristocracy was no longer in style, the long trousers that we now think of as “trousers” were developed. Knickers are a form of looser pants that have been worn by both men and women throughout history.
Today, when it is socially acceptable for women to wear pants, pants can be a fashionable as well as a practical way of dressing for men, women, and children. For example, cotton pants are made of a lightweight, breathable material that makes them great for summer. Boys’ pants are great for active toddlers of both genders, as the clothing allows plenty of freedom of movement and has fewer bindings than many types of pants.
Breeches are often worn by modern riders for horseback riding as well. These pants cover the areas where the body meets the saddle, minimizing saddle sores. The lack of heavy seams, chunky seams or back pockets also minimizes pressure points that can become irritating during the constant rhythmic movement riders are exposed to while on horseback. Whether worn for fashion or utility, pants have proven to be a versatile garment whose meaning and uses have evolved through history.
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