Tight trousers

Tight trousers are trousers which fit the body closely. These are often fashionable but may cause medical, religious or social problems.

Tight trousers

Fashion

Tight trousers were fashionable for men in the 19th century in cities such as London, New York and Paris. In the 1950s, there was a fashion for tight jeans or drainpipes. In the 1960s, there was a fashion for flares, which were skintight down to the knee. In such cases, tightness around the genitals caused the trousers to act as a codpiece.^[1][2]

Medical problems

A vogue for tight male trousers led to an outbreak of apoplexy in 19th century New York. ^[3]

Tight trousers may cause numbness due to compression of a nerve. For example, this may affect the outer thigh in the condition meralgia paraesthetica.^[4]

Tight trousers may cause dyspermia due to overheating of the testes.^[5]

Religion

Conservative religions such as Islam often disapprove of tight trousers as they may seem immodest or overtly sexual. In Sudan, women have been arrested for wearing them.^[6]

See also

• Breeches
• Hose (clothing)
• Slim-fit pants
• Tights

References

1. ^ Oswald Curtis (1998), Nineteenth-century costume and fashion, p. 142, ISBN 9780486402925, http://books.google.com/?id=m8QTwxJ5hwwC&pg=PA142 
2. ^ Mary Schoeser (1996-09-15), "Legging It", The gendered object, ISBN 9780719044755, http://books.google.com/?id=ZHMbJQ50iZoC 
3. ^ A New Disease, New York Times, April 17, 1884, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E01E3DE1338E033A25754C1A9629C94659FD7CF 
4. ^ "Meralgia paresthetica and tight trousers", Journal of the American Medical Association 251 (12): 1553, 1984, PMID 6700050 
5. ^ F Parazzini, M Marchini, L Luchini, L Tozzi, R (1995), "Tight underpants and trousers and risk of dyspermia", International Journal of Andrology 18 (3): 137–140, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2605.1995.tb00400.x, PMID 7558376, http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119243251/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 
6. ^ Peter Martell (8 October 2008), "Sudan outrage at trouser arrests", BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7659060.stm