Issue link: http://lawandordermag.epubxp.com/i/144260
FEATURE BLACKHAWK! Women's Apparel SUMMARY BLACKHAWK! Women's Lightweight Tactical Shirt and Pant Not long ago, the words "women" and "tactical" did not go together in the same sentence. With more women entering law enforcement as well as taking up specialized training, it is hard to ignore their needs any longer. More and more big-name companies are joining the charge with a full line of uniforms and gear made specifically for women. Here is the latest from one of the biggest names: BLACKHAWK! MORE INFORMATION www.blackhawk.com www.womenstactical.org BLACKHAWK! WOMEN'S APPAREL MORE AND MORE FOR WOMEN OFFICERS By Karen Bartuch W omen are also the largest growing segment of frearms owners and are hitting the range in droves. And they need functional, properly ftting clothing when they do so. Unfortunately, in the past, some companies have taken the easy route and simply used a pattern designed for men and sized it smaller to ft a woman. Obviously a woman's body is drastically different than a man's and it should seem obvious that this wouldn't work. It has been part of the past practices and still done today. To the men out there asking what the big deal is, please try to wear women's pants and function comfortably—it doesn't work; male and female bodies are too different. Alternatively, out of desperation, women will just buy the men's item because it is the only thing available and alter it themselves. Other com- 46 LAW and ORDER I July 2013 panies merely take a stab at a single item for women and call it a day. That just shows the female customer is an afterthought and does not encourage the female shopper to repeat purchase. There are also many misconceptions when it comes to women's gear and apparel. Here are fve of the more common ones. #1 Shrink it and Pink it There are other ways to attract the female buyer aside from coloring items pink and sizing them smaller. This concept makes no sense for law enforcement and quite honestly affects the credibility of any company that would do this to attract female customers. If it is pink, it isn't tactical. There is a reason that military folks and law enforcement SWAT teams stick to a subdued color palette for their uniforms and gear, i.e., they wear those colors to avoid making themselves a target. Thankfully the law enforcement community is not subjected to the "shrink it and pink it" phenomenon with respect to guns, gear and girls quite as much as elsewhere, such as the tactical and frearms communities. Most departments have policies and orders in place that prevent gear such as pink handcuffs, for example, from being used.