Here are my 5 biggest gripes about clothes.
As someone who works outside the home, and has small children I hate shopping for clothes, especially work clothes. Full disclosure 10 years ago I was a size 4 and 20lbs lighter. This body has gone through it, weight gain in pregnancy, nursing constrictions, changes in roles and work culture. I used to wear slacks all day every day with casual Fridays equating to “work jeans” and a blazer. Pumps and full accessories were the norm… now the world is different, life is different. What I need from my fits has drastically changed… and I don’t think I’ve adapted with it… I may have given up.
I hate getting dressed every day and here are my 10 biggest gripes about clothes.
Where do I shop?
Maybe your town is like mine, barely big enough to be considered a city, we used to have a vibrant shopping scene with a mall and destination shopping plaza. Now the mall is in foreclosure and the stores in the shopping center are firmly out of my price range (Coach, Althea, Pandora). Yes we have a Kohls, Old Navy and Target… but have you been in one recently the struggle is real.
Most of the time I order my work clothes online, because I don’t have the time to hunt for my size if they even carry it (maternity who?). Ordering clothes however isn’t an easy solution, I never know until they arrive what the fabric will be or how the garment will fit.
When did weather become such a big variable?
This may not be news to anyone else, but the weather is getting worse. The summers are getting hotter, our rain storms in the south are getting stronger. The winter is colder than it’s ever been, we had snow in Florida. My job requires me to walk 2-3 miles every day, some of that outside. I cannot ignore the weather outside, but it adds a level of difficulty when dressing for 98 degree and rain outside and 70 degree inside.
When I started working in research the weather was a thought, but it didn’t feel like I needed a fit change for every location. I didn’t feel so strongly about needing to adjust my fit to allow for my life responsibilities.
Stretch vs. Structure
Last time I looked for pants most of them claimed to be “like leggings” or “stretchy” which sounds great… until they show up being made of yoga pant materials, or shinny jazz pant material. I’m not looking for dance competition level of stretch, I just don’t want to rip them when I pick my kids up, or eat too much.
On the flip side, we have the more structured jean-slacks or khaki’s which remind me of working in a coffee shop in ’09. Hot… uncomfortable…. My whale tale exposed. I don’t think my body ever fit into those type of pants and now I can certify this body will not fit into them now. Where is the happy medium?
Why is it so expensive?
I wish I had a large budget to work with, but I have bills and a job that barley covers it. I don’t have the expendable funds for a box subscription or even to buy things off the rack. I hunt for sales, ask for gift cards for my birthday, wear clothes for 5+ years. Only when pregnant do I buy myself new clothes, and that’s from necessity.
When I was a teen it was the norm to go shopping on the weekend, we didn’t always buy something, but there was the culture of walking around the mall, of trying clothes on.. Now our malls are closing and the only stores staying open are the ones our of our price range.
Do I need to dress up when I’m on Zoom all day?
Gone are the days were we see our co-workers, where we can people watch in the break room. I go weeks without stopping to chat with a co-worker, because life is so fast. I could not tell you what half of them wear to work outside of there being a bottom and a top and they were probably wearing shoes. It doesn’t get much better for my kids teachers. Somewhere along the way I stopped noticing what people were wearing around me. It begs the question if I’m not seeing patience… do I need to dress for work? If I’m at home on zoom can I stay in my sweats?
No one freking cares.
Give it to the zoomers, their claim to fame can be the dystopian disregard for professionalism in lieu of personal style. Let’s face millennials… we were bred to be people pleasers… this wasn’t us.
I used to worry about my heels being the “not slutty” height, my shirt being the right material for the office. I would never have been caught in the grocery store in my jammies. Now, I see people in cosplay at the library, bathing suits in broad daylight, the outfits we see in the wild are …. Wild.
No one freking cares, and maybe I shouldn’t either.
Obsessing over our appearances and comparing it to others is not healthy, it’s not good for us and it certainly isn’t a behavior I would like my children to immolate. Some mornings I change my fit 4 or 5 time before finding something to wear, some days I intentionally put on my “safe fit” for my morning mom duties and come home to spiral out about my work outfit before going in.
Body image is something most people deal with in their lives, and the clothes we put on our bodies to exist in the grown up spaces is part of that. What I focus on as much as I can is comfort, texture and color/pattern. I know that if I am comfortable, if I’m not overstimulated by the texture and I like the pattern I will feel better about my appearance. On the bad days I avoid my reflection like it’s medusa, but overall I focus on feel and if anyone comes at me the can frek off.
Getting dressed shouldn’t be a daily battle. But for many of us, it is.
Do you feel stuck in your closet? Has your relationship with clothes changed post-kids or post-pandemic? I’d love to hear your take.
We’re all in this wardrobe wilderness together
Like & Share this post with a friend who’s also over it. And if you’ve found the holy grail of comfy, work-appropriate, affordable pants—please, drop the link. .
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