Happy Thursday!!
I’m actually blogging on the run today using my iPhone. This entire day was dedicated to helping my mom shop. First for groceries and then for all her Christmas shopping. Right now we are taking a break to eat lunch and I figured I would write up a little blog to test the mobile blogging idea.
I love spending time with my mom but I absolutely hate shopping. It’s just not something I enjoy very much, nor have I ever liked it. When I am forced to shop for other people I hate trying to guess what they would like and the anxiety I feel over whether they will actually use it or not. I would honestly rather just give my family members cash for Christmas. Ho, ho, ho. And shopping for myself has never been something I’ve enjoyed doing. It’s hard for me to understand those women who actually shop for fun and sport. I’m nothing like that.
Part of the reason I hate shopping is because I spent so many years having miserable experiences where nothing I tried on would fit. Starting from middle school I had problems finding clothes that fit well. Designers don’t usually have 5’2″ obese teenagers in mind when they make clothes. So after many horrible experiences, around the time I realized I couldn’t fit in anything in normal size stores, I just stopped shopping. I hated going when I knew I wouldn’t find anything. So wore jeans and men’s tshirts all the time. Instead of coats that wouldn’t fit me I wore guys hoodies. I didn’t bother shopping for myself and tried to avoid going with my friends. When they did drag me with them I would buy fat girl items: shoes and accessories that didn’t need to be a certain size.
In college when I lost weight I actually worked in retail. I worked at two different stores in the mall selling clothes. Since I was a smaller size I could fit in the clothes and shopping was a lot easier but still not enjoyable. When you are short like me clothes never really fit right, whether you are a size 8, 14, or 24. So I still never enjoyed shopping. To this day I usually go shopping alone because I hate trying on clothes for other people when they don’t fit. Though I know I can wear the clothes in moat stores, I still avoid shopping. But that’s what I’m doing today! Luckily I’m buying stuff for my brothers, which I find easier than shopping for myself.
Do any of you do this too? Is shopping something you avoid because you don’t/can’t or fear you won’t fit in the clothes? Or have you gotten past that?
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{ 19 comments }
Mary– I understand completely. I have to say though I have gotten past it in a huge way. In high school I wore a mens XL sweatshirt that was like my signature look and it barely fit. That with cutoff shorts and tevas, I looked like a boy. :c( I’m tall at 5’8″ and that helps for sure, but as I lost weight I was forced into shopping. For years I was a different size every season. Thrifting became a way of life and I learned to embrace trying on clothes. Ignoring the number on the label helps. There is no consistency (even among the same brand) and really it means nothing. If you have to go up a size so it fits properly better to do that then to squeeze into something that clearly has no business being on you.
I can’t speak to the challenges of finding clothes for the shorter folks, but learning what looks good on your body and then building on that I find helps. Took me years to develop a sense of style after a teenage youth of mens XL flannels and 42 inch jeans.
And I do have to say that it kills me that while I am the same person people respond to me differently. It shouldn’t be that way but it is. Days I look like a schlep, I feel like a schlep. Days I look like a million bucks, I feel like a million bucks. I am the first to admit that vanity goes a long way towards keeping me in a happy maintenance state.
If you ever get back to Boston I would love to shop with you. Learning how to dress your body can take you further than you might think.
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..Final =-.
I actually have a pretty good grasp of what looks good and all, I just can’t ever find it. And that gets frustrating when I do find things but they cost too much or cost enough but have to be altered to fit my body totally right. It’s just annoying, so I generally hate shopping. But that’s not to say I wouldn’t go shopping with you in Boston! Let’s do it!
My problem is that after shopping plus-sized for the last 14 years (ie: all of the years I was allowed to pick my own clothes), I have no idea how to shop. I’ve spent years focusing on putting on what fits, because NOTHING looked good. I actually am dreading the first shopping at a “normal” store because I have no idea what to buy or where to buy it from.
I think I need the help of Stacey and Clinton
.-= Tara´s last blog ..Thief in the Night =-.
Oooo, a what not to wear episode in the making! I LOVE that show. I would totally love shopping if I had them and 5 grand. Hehe. ;)
I LOATHE shopping for anything for me…someday…maybe I will enjoy it. I do enjoy shoppping for others though.
.-= Trish @IamSucceeding´s last blog ..Wheat Bread 2(ABM) =-.
I hate it for the same reason, it’s just emotionally draining. And NOT how I’d want to spend any part of my day if possible.
Half of the reason I am losing weight is so I can go shopping. I’m super excited that I can do things like shop now (at size 14). (As you can see here: http://birthdaypromise.blogspot.com/2009/11/dressing-for-work.html)
As a former shopper hater, I love that I can go shopping with my friends!!!
.-= Margee´s last blog ..Another day =-.
That’s great! I guess the novelty of being able to fit in normal size clothes wore off for me when I realized that because I’m short they still are usually not right. But I’m glad you are enjoying it! :)
The thing I hate the most is pants shopping. In fact, I actually have avoided it altogether for over a year now. I’m hoping that as I lose weight I will be FORCED into getting smaller pants, and that could definitely be a confidence booster!
I hate shopping too! Well, I like it if I’m going with someone else and theyre buying stuff. I am short like you (shorter, 5’1) and yes clothes aren’t so meant for short people. At least I discovered a yr or 2 ago that you can bring pants to get hemmed for only a few dollars at a tailor, that helped slightly. I also hate xmas shopping. Having to get ppl something just because its this time of year. I havent started yet… and any time of year theres all the people pushing and shoving and too crowded and theyre grabbing and its hard to look… I’m such an online shopper. Much more sane. As far as fitting into the clothes, even with hemming, so much doesn’t fit me. You have to be an exact certain size to have things in the store fit you, and of that size you have to have the exact measurements they think. If you have size blah top then your chest should be this big, if you have size blah pants your legs should be this wide. Its stupid. I am planning a blog about this cuz I just cant find any jeans that fit me!! Its so frustrating. I feel like clothes in stores only fit about 3 percent of the population. :(
.-= merri´s last blog ..Holiday time goals =-.
I have always hated shopping, even before I was fat, so it’s not that. I think one of the reasons may be that it makes you want stuff you don’t need and can’t afford. Online shopping on the other hand is just wonderful!
.-= Hanlie´s last blog ..Cellulite: What can you do? =-.
I hate shopping and do 90% of my shopping online. I’m getting lazy now because I’ve even started doing my food shopping online.
Shopping for food online is a great way to stop yourself from filling your shopping trolley with junk though. I married to a shopaholic and I can’t understand why she needs to buy a new pair of shoes and an handbag every time she go’s out.
.-= Keith @ My Body Fat´s last blog ..Weekly Weigh In December 18th 2009 =-.
I hate shopping, too! There are mirrors everywhere…aggghhhhh! Many mirrors aren’t flattering and others are….which ones do we trust?
I’m also not a huge fan of crowds so I do a lot of shopping online or at random times like this time of year!
.-= Joanna Sutter´s last blog ..What I learned From The Grinch =-.
You typed that entire post on an iPhone? Wow…that keyboard is a pain in the ass to work with (for me, anyway, guess I have fat fingers).
Back in the day, when I was at a smaller weight, I shopped quite a bit, and spend a good amount of money on clothes. I liked having new stuff, I liked the way I looked in it (usually), and I could get a good amount of nice stuff for a reasonable price (thanks Kohls).
But that was then, this past year I have bought 4 new articles of clothing, a pair of cargo pants, two button down shirts, and a hoodie..and with the exception of the hoodie, everything was bought at Wal-Mart. Buying new clothes now makes me feel like I am giving up, I’d rather try to work my ass off and fit into the stuff I already own, and if I do need to buy clothes out of necessity, I’m not going to buy anything all that great, just something to get me by.
.-= Steve´s last blog ..I kinda just want to scream right now… =-.
Yeah, it was a pain.. the iphone is not exactly my favorite way to blog but I figured I could try it out. Took me way to long to type that all out.
I can totally relate to this post. However, I used to love shopping! I wasn’t always overweight, so there was a time where I was young and thin and enjoyed it. Now, however, it is a much different story. I still wouldn’t say I completely hate shopping, but shopping for certain items of clothing can be frustrating. Pants are my main issue. I’ve got a bigger belly, but a small butt and thighs. So pants either fit me in the waist and look ridiculous on my butt and legs or they fit in my butt and legs and give me severe muffin top syndrome. To make matters worse my boyfriend LOVES shopping. He’s always encouraging me to buy a new shirt or telling me I need to get some new pants, which I appreciate and sometimes need, but there are times where I reach my limit and I’m frustrated and just plain done. It’s like I reach this point of no return and he had better just understand that I am done and will not try on or look at any more clothes. Lol, yeah I can be a little pain in the butt when I reach that limit, but only if he’s being pushy, if he says ok and lets it be then I just follow him around and try to shake off the bad mood.
.-= Tania´s last blog ..Where I’m At =-.
Ahm, I am the opposite. I love shopping! But I get tired of shopping for myself as well because I am not that fond of trying on and fitting dresses. It’s just too bothersome. Especially now that I have gained weight (after giving birth to my second child), I just can’t grab something that I think would fit me. I actually have to fit it. Argh.
- Kaith
.-= All Women Stalker´s last blog ..36 Best Lengthening Mascaras Reviews… =-.
I used to hate shopping too when I was heavy & actually, I never really learned to like clothes shopping because even after losing weight, I always had to try on so many things to get a right fit. Now, with petite clothes (short people), it makes it easier but I still don’t fit into clothes quite right…. well, maybe I do but it has been a long time since I went shopping! :-) I am a candidate for What not to Wear!
.-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Kickboxing Update; Healthier Gingerbread Cookie =-.
Thank god I wasn’t the only one. I spent the entire beginning of my teen years obsessing about my weight. I remember when I was fourteen I wouldn’t let my mom take me to any shop. I had probably a combined total of five outfits. They were old and small or old and big. The funny thing is when I was twelve and my obsession began, I wasn’t fat. It was obsessing over what I ate that made me fat, a.k.a. skipping meals and than binging. Anyways, I know what you mean about how weird it is to shop. I’m older now and have lost all my fat weight (40 pounds), so finding clothes that fit my body just feels awkward. So for the most part I still don’t like to shop
*sigh* but at least now I can enter a normal people store without the fear of nothing fitting me.