Is it time to ditch the ‘skinny’ drawer?

You know what I’m talking about, that skinny skeleton in your wardrobe or drawers which you refuse to show the door to. We all have at least one item which is a little too tight but we keep telling ourselves it will fit one day.

It’s either the jeans you’ll squeeze into when you’re 20 pounds down or the dress that you can’t zip up until your boobs shrink. No matter our shape or size we all have something we imagine our thinner self wearing a few months down the line. Myself included.

We carried out a survey which found 93 per cent of people admitted to having a ‘skinny’ drawer and 42 per cent of those people have been keeping their ‘skinny’ clothes for more than two years. That’s a long time to hold onto something which no longer fits, not to mention all that wasted storage space you could fill with wearable clothing. Here’s the thing, 62 per cent of people said that they have stopped themselves from buying clothes that fit now in the hope they will soon be skinnier.

Nicole Lancaster, 26, told us: “I hardly ever buy clothes I like because I hope I will lose weight. I buy clothes that I don’t want as much and that are cheaper so I can spend more money on clothes when I’m a size that I like.”

Surely this can’t be healthy for our self-esteem?

Psychological well-being practitioner, Shaughna Brack, said:

“With regards to clothes that don’t fit us – be realistic. If you think you can healthily lose (or gain) weight to fit into these clothes in a realistic time frame, and have the ability and motivation to do so, then keep them. Make a plan and stick to it. But weigh this up with how they are making you feel. They can serve to make us feel worse if any previous plans to lose weight have failed. These ghosts in our closet can remind us that we aren’t the shape we wish we were, and drain our self confidence and self esteem every time we see them.”

For some people, having some items of clothing that don’t fit can be used positively. Sarah Scott, 22, uses these garments as a tool of motivation rather than a way of beating her self up about gaining weight. She added: “I like to see it as a challenge to lose weight and hopefully fit into them again, so I wouldn’t consider giving them away as they can help motivate me.”

However, when we asked people in our survey how it made them feel to look in their ‘skinny’ drawer the responses were mostly negative, with some even saying it made them feel depressed and disappointed in themselves. Others said:

“Self-conscious, unhappy and unmotivated.”

“Sad that I won’t wear them again but they are too pretty to let go of just yet.”

“After having them for a few years I have started to lose hope that one day I will be able to fit into them again. I bought a skirt for my 18th birthday which I didn’t wear as I wasn’t comfortable but I have kept it with hopes that one day I will be able to fit into it again. It’s nearly my 21st Birthday so I have had it now for nearly three years!”

Miss Brack believes: “To stop the ongoing need to be skinny we should stop comparing ourselves with the image of celebrity, and really look at our own lifestyles. Question if we believe we are healthy and let that guide how we see ourselves.”

She also think celebrity culture magazines can be partly to blame saying: “To be unhappy and discontent is synonymous with being unattractive in these magazines, and an easy way to target women in this way is their weight.”

When looking in our ‘skinny’ drawer, if it is creating such negative emotions, it’s about time we ditch the contents and embrace the figure we have now.

Image Credit: http://justagirlandherblog.com/the-konmari-method-organizing-clothes/

I decided to open up the dreaded drawer and there at the top of the pile was my favourite sequin crop top I wore to a Christmas party three years ago followed by piles of dresses, skirts and tops. After one last attempt of trying to pull a fitted midi dress over my thighs I knew it was time to ditch my ‘skinny’ drawer.

So, how do you do it? You have a number of options, fill up a charity bag, give to family or friends or earn some cash to help fund filling the drawer back up with garments that fit. I decided to try out Ebay and after taking a few quick photos of each item and adding a description they were up for sale.

Being an Ebay newbie, I expected nothing to come from it, to my surprise the items started selling immediately and I found myself with a healthy £50 Paypal balance after just one week. A new midi dress was in my ASOS basket instantly and now sits in what was once my ‘skinny’ drawer waiting for new clothes to share its spot.

You all want to know how I feel now right? I’ve noticed that I feel more accepting of my body knowing that I can open my wardrobe and drawers to find clothes that fit me and not see a constant reminder of the figure I used to have.

By ditching these clothes, it doesn’t mean your body can’t or won’t change now, it just makes for a more positive outlook for yourself. You can embrace the shape you are in this moment and not have clothes repeatedly reject your body because of size.

To be healthy and happy should always be the end goal, not to fit back into the contents of your ‘skinny’ drawer. Are you ready to ditch yours?

Let us know in the comments or tweet us @Fashion_North