(¥Y The death penalty is a failure (¥ There are no easy answers for solving the world’s problems And more! Give me pockets or give me death > The inherent issue with women’s clothing Jessica Berget Staff Writer Wie a wide variety of women’s clothing stores and styles nowadays, you would think it would be easy to find a simple pair of pants with decent-sized pockets, or any pockets at all, for that matter. Sadly, this is simply not the case, and it seems that the reason—like with so many other things—is inherently sexist. It all started in the 1800s, back when it was illegal for women to wear pants or trousers. It wasn’t until the World Wars of the 1900’s when trousers would become an acceptable garment for women to wear. The large pockets were considered to be too masculine, so they were made smaller, and then ultimately removed for aesthetic purposes, or for making the pants look tighter. By the time pants were being commercialized for women, they were plagued with either no pockets or barely functioning ones. The time is now 2017 and women’s pants still do not have adequate pocketing. When you walk | into any major store like Forever 21 or H&M, you a will notice there is a vast difference in the amount of women’s clothing the store carries and the amount of men’s clothing. Almost 80 per cent of these stores are dedicated to women’s clothing, and the variety of men’s clothing is often sized down to a single corner. The gender imbalance in clothing stores is obvious, but with so much clothing being made for women it the illusion of pockets. Numerous times | have bought a pair of pants thinking they would have adequate them home only to be confronted with a * lie. Why not just put in actual pockets? It’s not just pants that are absent of pockets; almost all women’s clothing are without them. Blazers, blouses, dresses, skirts, even some t-shirts are bereft of pockets, or bear a sad excuse for one. In my closet, about — | pockets and brought is ridiculous that these E 45 per cent of my clothes have clothing companies en functioning pockets, and can't make at least x about 20 per cent have pockets one pair of pants with ay E I can actually put things in. pockets that can hold 4 ce Apparently, clothing designers more than a single = o have decided that pockets ID card, or a piece £ just aren’t sexy enough, or of lint. Even more ow infuriating is the stitching that gives are too bulky and that women don’t need them. How does an industry that is primarily directed at women completely ignore the wants and needs of its consumers? Not surprisingly, most of these clothing stores’ CEOs and founders are men. Because of this, women’s clothing is not designed based on comfort or practicality but based on how it look. To further assert aesthetic over functionality, women are forced to use handbags as a substitute for the lack of pockets. Besides this just being another way for men to profit off women’s fashion, purses and handbags are often unconventional or just plain awkward to carry around. Carrying large and heavy bags is bad for your back and shoulders, and when you want to runa quick errand or you're going to a party, bringing a bag can be impractical, but without pockets it’s the only option. It is not a radical idea that women should be able to carry around their wallets and keys without having to take an unnecessarily large bag. Being pocketless hinders our progress in society. Women already barely have basic human rights, so please, give us the pockets we sorely need and deserve. Canada is unique In its view of immigrants > Secure borders make for less tension Cazzy Lewchuk Opinions Editor Cones has a population of about 36 million people. About 7 million of those people are immigrants, and Canada takes in about 250,000 new immigrants each year. While it’s difficult to track the statistics, there are an estimated 100,000 illegal immigrants currently living in the country. The US has a population of 324 million, with 42 million immigrants and close to 12 million unauthorized ones, bringing in about one million new immigrant citizens each year. Although our population is much smaller, it’s clear that Canada has a much smaller ratio of illegal immigrants. We also have a larger ratio of foreign-born citizens, especially in cities. Toronto is home to over 230 nationalities, with about half of the population being foreign-born, making it one of the most diverse cities in the world. The major reason for less illegal immigration is simple geography. Canada only has one border, and it’s one of the most secure in the world. There are, of course, a few US citizens fleeing their country for a better life in Canada, although it wouldn't surprise me if more were arriving due to certain political events. In comparison, over half of illegal immigrants in the US are from their bordering country Mexico. Insecurity and fear of immigrants, especially undocumented ones, can lead to extremism and nationalism. This is quite apparent with the Trump administration, which ran a campaign based heavily on cracking down on immigration. Trump’s policies are well-known for being outrageous and ambitious. He has pledged to build an actual, physical wall across the US/Mexico border, and to perform “expedited removal” of millions of people living in the country illegally. It’s not just the US that’s frustrated by immigration. A major part of the campaign to leave the European Union— which Britain voted “yes” on—revolved Poy Be 0 ts) ee) Tac VEHICLES Image via shawglobalnews.com around reducing the number of migrants and securing the borders of the UK. European countries are much smaller than Canada or the US, and their borders are much less secure, particularly within the European Union. With the global refugee crisis, there has been an influx of immigrants across all of Europe, leading to a perceived threat from citizens not used to so many foreigners. Naturally, many immigrants come from a much different culture than the country they’ve arrived in. They are not white, Christian, English- speaking, Westernized people. Many Western citizens are concerned with the new diversity threatening their culture or way of life, particularly in homogenous areas that have had very few immigrants in the past. Some even fear immigrants are more likely to be terrorists or break the law—as Trump has suggested many times, referring to Mexicans as “rapists and criminals” and putting out a travel ban on citizens from “suspect terrorist countries.” Most of the worries that people have about immigrants are based on misunderstandings and false beliefs. Immigrants strengthen economies, bringing in much more money than they cost. They are no more likely to break the law than any other type of person. Unless one is of Indigenous descent, every Canadian is a descendant of an immigrant. The entire country was founded on immigration, and foreign-born citizens contributed—and continue to contribute—strongly to the culture of the Western world. Still, ’m a Canadian from a city with a very large number of immigrants, and I value the society I’ve been exposed to as a result. Having this background can make it hard to empathize with those in the US who are fearful or resentful over the number of immigrants. If I was from an area with much less immigration and was accustomed to a less diverse culture, I’d be more likely to fear something that I don’t understand. If | noticed tension and citizens living undocumented in my own community, I might have a more negative opinion.