Another dumb question - buttons

[sissystephanie]

Does anybody else out there have as much trouble buttoning ladies tops as I do? I have no trouble at all with my male shirts, but my pretty blouses give me all sorts of trouble. Maybe it is my age, or something, but it is definitely a bother. Some tops are much harder than others. Anyone else have this problem?

Sissy

More Girl than man

[Emily Ann Brown]

It's because ladies tops button opposite hand from mens....we have learned all our lives to do it one way and it feels strange. I'm finally getting better at it.

Emily Ann

[Kahlan51]

Especially the ones with small delicate buttons. Practice makes perfect.
I have more trouble with jewelry clasps. Kahlan

[Stephenie S]

Dear Sissy,

There is nothing wrong with you. You are just used to buttoning uo the other way. The only solution is practice, practice, practice. Button one of your shirts on a hanger every morning or turn your shirt upside down to practice. It's really easy once you get your fingers to work "backwards". Of course it's not "backwards" for the girls, is it?

Lovies,
Steph

[Amy Hepker]

I would rather put on Female tops than Guys Shirts. I only have snap mens shirts. I don't feel that guys should have small shiny pearl things hanging on their shirts. Don't and won't wear Mens dress shirts.

[Karren H]

Not really... But then again I have mainly knit tops and only a few blouses.. But they buttoned just fine!

Karren

[celtic.blue.eyes]

I also found it awkward, until I changed my approach. We are taught from a very young age that you put the button through the hole. That is easy when you are right handed and the button is in your right hand. You simply hold the hole steady with your left hand and manipulate the button with your right.

Now when the situation is reveresed, we instinctively try to manipulare the button with our left hand, which gets awkward. Try reversing the approach, by holding the button steady in your left hand and manipulate the hole over the button with your right. It didn't take much practice for this to become second nature.

[Kali]

Learning how to button while wearing long nails has been more problematical for me than the difference in direction.

[Angie G]

I did at first but not now lots of practice
Angie

[LindaTS]

Like Kali, I also have problems because of my long nails. This is especially true now with two new blouses that have smaller than usual buttons. Just one of the things a woman has to put up with.

[Emma England]

Buttoning a ladies top is just as easy as using your left hand!!

(I am right-handed btw)

[Marianna Julianna]

Strangely enough, no, never have had, usually my problem is the other way around, but I tend to avoid buttons anyway, if I can.

[JoAnnDallas]

This is the only reason I have for not letting my nails get too long. The longer the nails the harder it is to button a button. Always wondered how a GG with 2" nails buttons a buttong or pickes up a coin on the table.

[amanda barber]

Learning how to button while wearing long nails has been more problematical for me than the difference in direction.

Fake nails can be tough because you never get the level of practice with them that you get with real nails, even "shorter" real nails like 1/8-1/4" long.

[marie354]

This is the only reason I have for not letting my nails get too long. The longer the nails the harder it is to button a button. Always wondered how a GG with 2" nails buttons a buttong or pickes up a coin on the table.

Not to steal the thread, but with press-on nails I found it impossible to do buttons, zippers and hose. But since I've been letting them grow and filing them for a nice shape it's been a gradual thing getting used to it and it's been easier I think. They are only 1/8 to 1/4 past my fingers, so they are not really too long. Some things would seem impossible with really long nails.

But buttons haven't been a problem for a long time for me any more.

[janedoe311]

That had the buttons on the left. Is really a pain not used to it. Kind of wonder why womens clothes button on the left and mens on the right.
Does take a while to get used to.

(I Understand it was because "a long time ago" Ladies had attendants that dressed them, (buttons and zippers in the back out of reach and on sides). It was easer for someone right handed to button someone with the buttons on the left. Maybe something for the Myth busters to do!

I have two girls and have a heck of a time dressing them.

I joke with my wife when we had our first baby I said I could do calculus and put a car or computer together but could not figure out how to put on a onesie.

[eleventhdr]

Yes i do not know how many time I have ripped dresses trying to zip myself into them nayone want to come by next time i try this and help me out next time!

Suzy!

[Wendrme]

No problem with buttons in the front, but I have a terrible time with blouses which have two or three buttons in the back at the neck.

I wanted desperately to buy a long line bra, but could not for the life of me, get all those hooks and eyes to function in the back. A regular bra is no problem for me. I also have problems with long back zippers on dresses. I guess I just haven't learned the trick yet. I may dislocate something before I do.

[Ranee Daze]

Maybe you should hire a dresser, preferably a right handed one, for it is for this reason that ladies buttons evolved on the left.

[marie354]

Kind of wonder why womens clothes button on the left and mens on the right.

They button that so that you can tell the differance between identical mens and womens blouses such as the plain white dress shirt.

[Victoria Anne]

its just what you have grown up with,now do you know why womens clothes button opposite?.... in times of old those of wealth had dressers,so clothing was made for the ease of the dresser to do her job!

[Angela E.]

If anyone was going to post that before me.That`s totally correct and after enough practice it`s second nature. Angela. :GE:

[Alice B]

I have major problems, not only because woman's tops button opposite to ours, but because I have Dupretins (sp?) Syndrome and nepraphty because of onset diabetis. My solution is to button all but the top buttons and pull the blouse over my head. As long as my shoulders clear it works. I still have to deal with and wrist buttons, which drives me crazy.

[Kelsy]

[SIZE="3"]I think it is just another one of those wonderful discoveries of the gg world!
I was totally unaware of the opposite buttons until I got my first fem blouse.
I've begun putting my belt in the opposite way as well just because it feels right!

Jennifer [/SIZE]

[Phyliss]

[SIZE="3"]
I've begun putting my belt in the opposite way as well just because it feels right!

Jennifer [/SIZE]

Ah, yes the infamous "backwards buttons". The mention of evolving from wealthy ladies who had "chamber maids" to do their buttoning is correct. One of the earliest know ideas of "co-operation of trades" The maids and tailors got together and figured out a simple solution. The "wealthy ladies" didn't care about the buttons as long as they "looked good"
As for wearing a belt in different directions, I can only assume it's some offshoot of the "backward button" idea.
I, also, have begun threading my belt in an opposite direction. For too many years I wore suspenders, (braces , for our U.K. friends) due to a rather "large waist" with my weight loss I've reverted to wearing a belt, and since I've begun this I almost automactically began "wearing it backwards" Everybody who knows me, has commented that I'm not wearing my suspenders anymore but rather a belt, and that I look good with the weight loss, but no comment about the direction of the belt.