A Feminist Issue: Let’s Talk About the Back Zippers On Women’s Clothing - SWAAY

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• A Feminist Issue: Let’s Talk About the Back Zippers On Women’s Clothing - SWAAY
• 2 Gap Clothing Stores In Virginia Close - Arlington, VA Patch
• Local Store Collects Clothing for Damiano Center - WDIO

A Feminist Issue: Let’s Talk About the Back Zippers On Women’s Clothing - SWAAY Posted: 29 Jan 2020 12:35 PM PST I've spent years now encouraging people to have difficult conversations, to talk about the things that are bothering them and yet, remain unspoken. I've read the research showing that couples who argue effectively, instead of staying quiet and avoiding conflict are ten times more likely to have a happy relationship. In that spirit, I want to talk about something that really, really bothers me: zippers down my back. There are many reasons to complain about women's clothing, particularly in reference to the ways that female clothing differs from men's. First, and most obviously, women have been objectified for centuries and their clothing has reflected this, even when designed and created by women. Our clothing is often unnecessarily revealing, for example. Why on earth would a woman want a swimsuit that comes off when we're swimming, for example? Many swimsuits only stay on our bodies if we sit prettily in them instead of using them for their stated purpose. Then, there's the idiocy of pantyhose. Expensive, fragile, difficult for the differently able to put on, and yet some workplaces still insist that nylons are necessary because a woman's bare legs are offensive. Don't get me started on stiletto heels. A third of women who wear them have fallen at some point, and the unnatural position of the foot in heels can cause permanent damage to the tendons, as well as nerve damage. What's more: pockets. Men have had functional pockets since at least the 1600s while women had to carry purses instead. A study done in 2018 found that the pockets in women's jeans are half as long as the pockets in men's' jeans and more than six percent narrower. In response, Ben Barry of the Ryerson School of Fashion told CTVNews that "the size difference in pockets perpetuates and reinforces gender inequality and is a manifestation of patriarchy." I could go on, of course. The sizes aren't consistent. Women have more options, but our clothes tend to be of lower quality and more expensive than men's. All of these issues are important and have been discussed by experts in the field. I, however, want to focus on clothing that zips up from the back. Why is society still making this and why are we still buying it? I would love to watch some men throw a dress over their heads and then try to zip it all the way up to their necks. There are hundreds of products on sale that promise to help you put your clothing on. And the Today Show offered a simple piece of advice for those times when you're going through an "existential crisis" because no matter how much you contort your body, "the zipper pull is just out of reach." Their solution is to use a safety pin and a length of ribbon; my solution is to boycott dresses that have zippers in the back. After all, clothing manufacturers often don't even bother to install a high-quality zipper that requires only light tug to move gracefully up your back. I'm not sure why they call them zippers at all. They don't zip. You're reaching your arm back behind you with all the desperation of a murder victim who's just been stabbed, you finally get the zipper to move and it then gets snagged on a piece of fabric. It's mind boggling to think that people are still dealing with this lunacy. We can build self-driving cars and reusable rockets, but we can't figure out how to make zippers work properly? If a clothing designer is going to put a bad zipper in a piece of clothing, better be sure it's not in the back. But since we're on subject, why oh why is it in the back in the first place? There are four sides to my body and three of them are absolutely perfect for seeing a zipper, getting a good grip on it, and zipping it up. So why? Why, in the name of all that is holy, do clothes makers insist on putting the zipper on the one side of my body that I can't see and can't reach without engaging in extreme yoga? To me, this is a feminist issue. Going back through history, it's clear that women were meant to remain disadvantaged and to require assistance when going about the regular tasks of living. Do men have zippers and buttons on the backs of their clothing? Is there a single piece of men's clothing that puts the zipper in the back? No! It's only women whose clothing requires them to have help in order to get dressed. It's a relic of age-old discrimination against single women and a punishment for those who try to live independently. Historically, females were supposed to move directly from our parents' house to our husbands. So, there was always supposed to be someone there to yank up that zipper. Here's an idea: let's start a zipper revolution. Boycott the back zipper. Refuse to buy that dress or top or jumpsuit unless the zipper is located in a place that doesn't require a chiropractor visit to reach it. Zippers on the side are welcome. Buttons in the front are wonderful. Wrap dresses are cool by me. But let's end the tyranny of the back zipper once and for all.

2 Gap Clothing Stores In Virginia Close - Arlington, VA Patch Posted: 31 Jan 2020 06:43 AM PST VIRGINIA — Two Gap clothing stores in Virginia have closed, company officials said Monday. The store closure was part of a plan announced in February 2019 to close 230 stores across the country. The two stores that closed Sunday were located at 1534 Rio Road E. in Charlottesville and 21100 Dulles Town Circle in Dulles, the company said. Gap management said the stores that closed were either underperforming or no longer fit the vision for the future of the company. "We are confident these closures will strengthen the health of the specialty fleet moving forward and will serve as a more appropriate foundation for brand revitalization," the company's management said in a statement on its website. The brick-and-mortar retail landscape continued its decline in Virginia in 2019 and 2020, with several national chains announcing dozens of store closings by 2020. Read more: NoVA, DC Store Closings By Chain Retailers In 2019 Last year, the parent company, Gap Inc. announced plans to shutter about 230 stores over the next two years. Last year, the San Francisco-based retail company had a total of 725 specialty stores, not including those in China. Sales had dropped 5 percent, according to Gap's 2018 earnings report. The 50-year-old retailer has been mired in a financial swamp over the past few years. Gap is estimating that it will lose about $625 million from the store closure, but then save about $90 million as the process takes shape. Gap joins other chains that are closing some of their Virginia stores. Papyrus, a stationery retailer, is closing all of its stores across the country, according to Fortune. The chain operates three Washington, D.C., stores and six Virginia stores, including shops in McLean, Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax. Papyrus joins other chains that are closing all or some of their DC and Virginia stores, including Pier 1 Imports, Bed Bath & Beyond, Sears, Kmart, Motherhood Maternity, Dressbarn and more. Earlier this month, Pier 1 said it would likely close half of its stores to "better align its business with the current operating environment." A dozen Virginia stores, including one each in Manassas, Falls Church, Arlington and Alexandria, were removed from the chain's website. The company confirmed on social media the stores removed from the website were slated for closure. Patch has posted the full list of the 12 Pier 1 stores expected to close. Lord & Taylor said in November it is closing two stores in Northern Virginia, its Tysons Corner Center store and its Dulles Town Center store in Sterling, the Washington Business Journal reported. The Lord & Taylor store at Tysons will lay off 117 employees, effective Jan. 31. The store at Dulles Town Center laid off 79 employees when it closed Christmas Eve, according to the report. The women's clothing store Avenue is closing more than 200 locations across the country, including three stores in Virginia. Read more. In November, craft supply store A.C. Moore announced it was closing all of its stores. The arts and crafts supplier operates at least 15 stores in Virginia. Under the transition, as many as 40 A.C. Moore stores will become Michaels. The locations to become Michaels have not yet been named. Read more. The news is a continuation of the recent climate for brick-and-mortar stores across America. A record 9,300-plus store closings were announced in 2019, and that number could be even higher in 2020, according to a report by Business Insider

Local Store Collects Clothing for Damiano Center - WDIO Posted: 30 Jan 2020 04:03 PM PST Through the drive, customers who donate gently used winter gear receive discounts on store merchandise. Trailfitters says that the "Share the Love with the Damiano Center" clothing drive began three years ago. "It's so important because the Damiano Center just needs so many things. It's not just kids stuff they need or women's clothing or just men's. They need a little bit of everything so if we can reach out to our customers and the audience that we have and help to generate some more donations, it can help stretch and go a long way," Pat Davison, Assistant Manager said. If you don't have anything to donate, Davison says you can buy a pair of socks and the store will donate a pair to the Damiano Center on your behalf. "I think we're up to 250 or more now so if you want to help out that way while keeping your own feet happy, you can do that as well," Davison said. Depending on how many donations the store receives by January 31st they may decide to extend the drive into February. Davison says the goal is to receive as many donations as they can. Trailfitters is located in Fitger's Complex.

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