Do women really wear men’s shirt after sex? Hell no.

Rather, since the idea was first conceived of, the notion has become a cliche thanks to various pop culture references.

From Rain Man to Julie & Julia, there’s also a scene in The Wedding Singer, Iron Man, Mr & Mrs Smith, and a bunch of other movies and TV shows.

These are all to blame for turning the cliche from the illogical into something incredibly alluring: a woman wearing nothing but a man’s shirt after sex.

Mainly used as an indicator of an omitted sex scene, according to media historian and professor Moya Luckett of the Gallatin School of Individualised Study at New York University, the trope first emerged during the mid-20th century, reports Racked:

It came as a side effect of the collision between post World War II backlash against women in the workforce and the growing conversation among women about sexuality, prompted in part by the rise of popular women’s fiction like the 1956 novel Peyton Place.

During the ’50s, the button-down after sex appealed to women who wanted to be seen as independent and attain men’s status in society. But they also appealed to men watching a James Bond movie and “seeing these infinitely disposable women passing through Bond’s life,” says Luckett.

So in just one gesture, a woman could “give the impression of independence because she came [without] a nightdress or a nightgown and she doesn’t have her stuff there,” yet also indulge the man’s fantasy of “cycling women through his apartment [in a] Playboy image of what [he] hopes female sexuality could be.”

Then, the 80s produced this:

Although the women are “operating under the illusion that they’re in control,” it’s actually men who have marked their territory. Why? Because:

With the women at home or out and about in their dudes’ oversized shirts, the men don’t have to worry about anyone thinking that their girlfriends are available.

But in reality, the act of putting on a man’s shirt – which needs to be oversized to work – after sex is exhausting.

Many women would prefer to go for a simple t-shirt, or that hoodie they have been eyeing out all night. When it comes to women really wearing males shirts, however, it’s more likely that women will follow in the footsteps of the likes of Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, known more fondly as Coco Chanel:

The classic example of a woman who broke the rules, especially for her time, Coco disregarded the conventions of her time period and created her own fashion.

Often donning – and finding inspiration from – male clothing, Coco created a simple elegance, since influencing women to establish their own style.

And this is apparent when women choose to wear their male counterpart’s shirts.

When it comes to wearing tailored shirts with interesting materials, women’s fashion sometimes cut it, but thankfully we have the likes of local shirt designers BlueCollarWhiteCollar to get our fix.

Just like these beauties did, below:

Can we all please just have a moment to appreciate how slick those shirts look – and to think they were designed with men in mind.

Now you’ll never have to wear a man’s shirt and nothing else ever again, unless you’re just trying it on for size ;).

[source:racked]