Week 6: Pockets Podcast – Hannah Kasak

99% Invisible’s episode on “Pockets” begins with a dialogue of a humorous narrative surrounding gender and clothing and segues into a discussion of the history and significance of pockets being featured or not featured in women’s clothing. The title, despite being short and simple, allows room for the significance of the pocket to be explored on a number of axes. The audio includes the narrators interviewing experts from a variety of fields and settings. Natural discussion and intentional description allow the listener to visualize the different forms and purposes of pockets worn throughout history and how these transitions shaped and were shaped by social and even political phenomena. Although I was not presented any photograph, I feel I have a very strong visual impression of the pockets worn by women in the middle ages and the small “reticula” purses popularized after the French revolution. I’ve always felt that visual learning is the more impactful and allows me to retain information best. Interestingly, I feel that this podcast, despite being entirely audio format, was able to provide me with a strong visualization of the subject. Maybe in some ways, the imagined visuals of a subject matter are even more powerful than presented ones.

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