Why Did Men Start Wearing Belts?

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00:00 Men Start Wearing Belts Introduction
When it comes to keeping your trousers up, your big three options are belts, suspenders (or braces), and trouser side-adjusters. Nowadays, belts are by far the most popular option. But how did this come about?
01:07 Terminology: Belts & Girdles
A belt is a band or strap used to support clothing or carry instruments while a band or strap worn around the waist and used to keep garments closed or cinched, rather than supported, is technically called a girdle.
A girdle now refers almost exclusively to an undergarment intended to shape and support the midsection and thighs.
02:26 Early History of Belts
Archaeological evidence for both articles is ubiquitous throughout the Bronze Age and it is likely that belts and girdles are almost as old as the clothes themselves. In the epics of the Greek poet Homer, set around 1200 BC, both girdles and belts are described and were also worn by the Ancient Romans.
03:17 Medieval and Early-Modern Belts
During the European Middle Ages, the blending of multiple cultures produced new fashions in which both belts and girdles were worn with trousers, tunics, and robes. Still, as before, belts were most often associated with utilitarian functions and stored tools and instruments.
04:34 Suspenders Become Supreme
In the early 19th century, London haberdasher Albert Thurston is credited with inventing suspenders. Suspenders held the trousers in place by literally suspending them from the shoulders attached by ties or buttons to the trouser waist. They immediately became popular because at this time clothing manufacturing had entered the Industrial Revolution.
For the rest of the 19th century and into the 20th century, suspenders stayed supreme, supplanting belts as the primary means of keeping one’s trousers up. But belts did not disappear. They persisted as a practical accessory.
08:09 20th Century Ascendancy of Belts
By the early days of the 20th century, the mutual wearing of belts and suspenders slowly fell out of favor. Belts, which were easy to take on and off and could help hold tools became regular wear in manual labor settings. While suspenders were worn at most other times.
10:47 Why Men Started: 1. Casualization of Clothing
11:37 2. Manufacturers' Choices
12:19 3. Perceived Convenience
12:47 4. Popular Perception
Having worked our way through over 5000 years of history we can now summarize why belts are so popular today.
14:40 Why Do Men Wear Belts Today?: 1. Utility
16:12 2. Comfort
17:16 3. Displays of Wealth
18:37 4. Style
We hope that today’s episode has explained why men started wearing belts and shed some light on why they remain so popular to this day.
20:53 Outfit Rundown