Google "the hanky code" if you don't know what it is - essentially it was/is (but probably less known now) queer community code to say what you were into without saying it out loud in an era where that could be dangerous (and still is, in some places). Kerchief in the back pocket is how that works, and the color of the hankie is what tells what you're into.
Little bit of related fashion trivia there! ;)
Just been back and checked the comments: several other people highlighted the hanky code, interesting the generational gap in knowledge (sorry to lump you in the same generation as me 😜)! But it also seems in Japan it is common to carry a very lightweight handkerchief to use as a hand-towel/tissue, and some people picked up on the styling for carrying fabric face-masks. I really liked the idea, although one person commented that a scarf in a back pocket meant you wanted it stolen 😂.
Ha ha ha, I'm 43 so technically I'm an Xer but I identify more with the "Xennial" idea, kind of a mini generation with some things in common with Xers and some things in common with Millennials, the "analog childhood/digital adulthood" being our experience as we came of age as the world changed.
I do sometimes use handkerchiefs at home but usually I don't take them when I go out; the reason is because stuffing a snotty handkerchief in my pocket just keeps it wet, lol. At home when I use one I hang it up, I don't put it in my pocket. I haven't set it up in the new apartment yet but in the old apartment I kept a ring on a hook next to my bed and that's where my hanky went, so I could use it in bed and then hang it up to dry. I would then wash it when it was pretty full. xD I do put half-used tissues in my pocket and they dry? But I think it's a matter of how thin they are compared to a thick handkerchief. x3
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I wondered about that, too.
!LUV
@shanibeer(5/5) gave you LUV.