Women’s Jeans

What does Women’s Jeans mean?

A style of jeans created for the female figure that are usually constructed so that the thighs are cut closer to the body when compared to mens jeans.

Heddels explains Women’s Jeans

Jeans didn’t become popular with women until well into twentieth century due to both their “working class” connotation and the fact that pants in general weren’t considered an acceptable option for women. Then in the 1930s, when many were still reeling from the Depression, dude ranches in places such as Nevada and Wyoming became popular vacation destinations. As evidenced in the 1939 film The Women, these new Western locations inspired a look of “western chic” in women’s fashion, a trend picked up on by Levi with its “Lady Levi’s” campaign in 1934.

However, jeans didn’t cement themselves with women until World War II, when many women began wearing overalls out of necessity while working in factories to support the troops abroad. Rosie the Riveter, decked out in denim coveralls and a handkerchief, became a symbol for the American woman working to support her husband abroad. Then, with the arrival of Marilyn Monroe and her unassuming, jean-clad beauty in films such as The Misfits and Bus Stop, jeans began to be seen as sexy for women, growing in popularity with the younger generation. By the 1970s they had established their permanent place in women’s wardrobes.

Today, women’s jeans have a more feminine cut and are generally tighter than men’s jeans. In the United States, they also tend to be sized by a single number such as 4 or 8(men’s jeans are sized by waist measurement and inseam length). In addition, manufacturers have adjusted their sizes as women’s body sizes have changed throughout history. Thus, a pair of jeans that were considered an 8 in the past may now actually be a size 4 or 6.

Additional Resources

Modern day women’s jeans:

Heddels Definitions - Womens Jeans

Here is a historic example:

Heddels Definition - Womens Jeans Historic