Belts and Suspenders

            For as long as pants that were a bit too big have been around there has been a need to keep them held up. Throughout history and to this day we have had two options for our too-big-pants. We can wear suspenders or we can wear a belt. Wearing suspenders is not as common in our culture however suspenders have many different advantages over belts. In this paper I will give the history of both options, give the advantages of both, and then explain why the belt has won. Suspenders were first invented in the 18th century. They were originally just thin ribbons attached to the buttonholes of your pants. Before 1938 suspenders were worn as underwear and you must wear a jacket to cover them. It is said that Benjamin Franklin had worn them, and since they were undergarments it is strange that this is known about him. There was and are three models the "H", "X", and "Y" these models are named after the shape made in the back of the suspenders. The "H" shape was the shape of the first model and then the "X" model came out and was changed into the "Y" model. All three of these models still exists but the "H" model is the least common unless you are a firefighter (Suddath, 2010).
             Belts can be traced as far back as the Greek and Roman era when they used them to carry weapons. Belts were also used as a power tool; if you seized another man taking his belt was a symbol of your power over him. Belts were not just for men. Women in the middle ages would use them as a purse. They would keep their fans and other belongings on their belt until bags were invented and then women didn't use belts again until around 1900 when they would wear a belt with a blouse and long skirt (Hobson). Now belts are worn by both men and women alike for both fashion and practicality. .
             Suspenders were said to be a healthy choice. "Suspenders help the wearer to maintain good posture which, in turn, keeps the organs and skeletal structure in proper form.