Why people wear braces

Throughout history, there have been certain groups that have worn braces or suspenders. The primary reason is to hold up their pants, and generally fall under the following categories:

For necessity
Young children need suspenders because they have no stomach at all. Their pants are always falling down with all their movement and if they don’t have elastic in the waistband.

Obese males wear braces because a belt would just slip down.

Suspenders are generally incorporated into snow pants to keep snow from getting inside.

For necessity because of your occupation
Firefighters are in life and death situations, and need their pants to stay up. In fact, the back of the braces on firefighter’s pants has more connection points to ensure there are no gaps for exposure to the elements. As the old joke goes, “Why did the fireman wear red suspenders?” “To Keep his pants up!”

Loggers wear braces with their jeans to keep their pants up while out in the forest.

Plumbers are bending under sinks and cabinets. Without braces, they would be revealing too much of their rear. More plumbers should be wearing braces to avoid showing their crack.

Farmers spend their day outside doing manual labor. They do not have the patience to constantly pull up their pants. Wearing braces on their jeans provides comfort and reassurance that their pants won’t fall down during the day. Additionally, a plaid shirt, jeans, and suspenders fits a farmer image.

Cowboys sometime wear suspenders to hold up their heavy pants

Hockey players wear suspenders to hold up their over-sized hockey pants.

Fishermen wear hip waders when they go waist-deep into the water.

Clowns wear suspenders to create practical jokes, and to keep their over-sized pants from falling to the floor with one step.

Mimes wear suspenders to accent their black and white shirt

Santa Claus wears braces as he has a large stomach from Mrs. Claus’ cooking!

For status
Lawyers, bankers, and financiers do a lot of sitting down, and a belt can be uncomfortable after a while. Braces offer the proper comfort and style with trousers that are a little larger at the waist and paired with a business suit. In addition, they are required with a vest and suit. Braces are generally worn by older, well-established businessmen, but there’s no rule that says young professionals cannot wear braces.

Gordon Gekko from the Wall Street movie

Skinheads use suspenders to display status. The status changes from region to region, and generation to generation, so it’s difficult to define.

Zoot suits were notorious for having very high-waisted pants. The pants can only be held up with braces.

Lederhosen use suspender straps to hold up the leather shorts. These shorts do not have a belt and because leather does not stretch or fit comfortably to the body, they would fall down without the necessary straps. Additionally, the straps denominate family class or regions. More details available here.

Others
So why don’t other groups use braces? Such as pregnant women? There are some specialized suspenders for pregnant mothers but why not wear suspenders with your maternity pants? They are much more comfortable than wrapping more material around your waist.

Additionally, there's one more significant reason, which I'll discuss in the next post.

In conclusion, braces have been worn by a lot of different people. But when it comes down to it, people use braces and suspenders because they are very comfortable and stylish.

Discussion Time:

1. What group do you fall under when you wear braces?

Note: all photos are used solely for non-commercial use and to illustrate braces in fashion. No plagiarism is intended.