Women, Wardrobes, Guns

“But, women have to completely re-think their wardrobe in order to carry a gun safely.”

Apparently, according to the vast majority of men, women regularly need to go up a size in their jeans, or completely “re-think” their wardrobe in order to accommodate your everyday Kydex holster. This has always been one of those “nail on a chalkboard” topics for me. It’s simply not true, or rather, it’s not true for the majority. There are always tricks, wearing a push-up bra to offset the thickness of my Glock 17 is one of them. Layering a tight undershirt with a flowing blouse is another easy trick. Bottom line, we as a community need to stop making safe concealed carrying seem like an impossible feat to new female shooters.

Gone are the days of high waisted button fly Levis hugging all the right places, and not allowing for extra room inside the waistband. Sure, in the 90’s, women very likely had to go up a size, or even wear men’s jeans in order to accommodate a pistol inside the waistband. However, most ladies jeans today have a certain percentage of spandex that guarantee even a Glock 17 has plenty of wiggle room.

A lot of women live in yoga pants, workout leggings, or dresses and skirts. Finding a safe, concealable holster for these occasions can be extremely difficult. But with necessity comes innovation. More and more people are beginning to see the need for niche holsters in the female market, some are incredible, other’s make me want to bash my face in with a rock. But in the end, I can confidently say that even if the woman in question is absolutely stubborn about only ever wearing yoga pants (Power to her!) there’s still a safe, concealable option for her out there. I personally have found it easier to simply change into jeans and a belt for my outside of the home adventures.

Bottom line, we need to cut out the narrative that says that women can’t conceal a proper Kydex holster in a pair of jeans without completely “re-thinking” her wardrobe. If that were true, I wouldn’t be able to wear jeans and a t-shirt to grocery shop, run home and do a wardrobe change to go meet with my design clients in dress pants and a nice blouse, all while employing the same holster and belt. It comes down to priority. Is it a priority for your girlfriend, wife, mother to carry a gun on their person? If it is, AWESOME, stop telling them it’s hard and start helping them find the best gun belt and holster made (pro-tip, it might be the same kind you employ for your EDC). If it’s not, it’s time to evaluate the why, before evaluating how they’re going to carry a gun that they have no experience with, or little desire to carry. I guarantee her vast and likely overwhelming wardrobe will be more than enough to effectively conceal a firearm.