Like any pair of roommates seeking to cut down our “procrastinating by watching something on Netflix” hours, we have gracefully moved onto “procrastinating by watching something on YouTube”. We have since become well-versed in Ashley’s YouTube channel of Best-dressed’s videos, and I tried to use her criteria for her closet cleanout to let my overstuffed drawers breathe.
I wanted to preface this article with a note that I am incredibly grateful to even have this “problem” especially given that we live in a world where way too many people are denied access to basic necessities. From the dorm-living angle, I’m also grateful to even have had the geographically-enabled opportunity to bring too many clothes, and that I don’t have to traverse continents for move-in and move-out days. That being said, I really hope that after I donate, someone can give these clothes a better home than I’d ever provide.
In her YouTube video, Ashley emptied her drawers and closets of clothes to shift the default away from “keep”. By starting with an empty closet, your clothes have to earn the pass back in. If you have the time (and I did) that’s a really good start. Ashley’s criteria for keeping clothes was the following:
1) Do I wear them often? With an important follow-up question: Would I miss it if it went missing?
2 ) Does it fit well? (Ashley also asks “Is it easily alterable?” although I asked no such thing).
3 ) Is the fabric comfortable?
4 ) Does it make me feel like myself?
5 ) Lastly, taking inspiration from the “Queen” Marie Kondo: Does it spark joy? Am I excited to wear it?
Ashley decided that she needed to punch all five of those boxes before she’d decide to keep something. With an empty closet and the previously listed criteria in mind, I began.
One thing I noticed throughout my first attempt is that I was far more lenient than I’d have liked. The “does it fit well?” criteria morphed into “does it fit?”. I’m in the upper range of sizes, which makes that question hard to answer in stores. Even when judging my own clothes, I’d allow a pair of pants that squeeze my stomach or thighs to get a free pass because I didn’t feel a “get it off me” level of animosity towards it. I’ve been lenient on criteria #4 and #5 if the answer to “does it fit” is veering towards “yes”. My ill-fitting overalls got pushed through because something told me that I’d never find anything that didn’t squash my calves. I was putting clothes into the “keep” pile that I knew I would only wear grudgingly. When I asked myself “does it spark joy?” my answer to myself was “well, it fits.” What made me more deeply uncomfortable was when my gut answer to “does it fit?” was “well, it should”.
Through this process, I identified an adopted mentality that all I can ask for of clothes is that it fits. I should ask for more, and I shouldn’t feel less human for gaining weight. I’ll work on that. If you have to work on that too, I just wanted to say that it sucks, and you’re not alone.
For my second attempt, I added a few more overarching guidelines, and I ended up taking some pretty markers when writing out my criteria on post-its and sticking them up as I sorted. If your guidelines only exist mentally, it’s easier to bend them. If you’ve written it down in a nice font, however…
6 ) Be stricter with your clothes. (A bit of a redundant reiteration of Ashley’s first five rules, but I clearly needed it.)
7 ) Are there tears? Can you fix them? I added this purely because Goodwill and other places for clothes donation generally do not want irreparably damaged clothes. If there are any tears, it’s better to fix them before donating. If it’s unfixable, you could keep it and reuse the fabric, or give it to someone who will.
8 ) Be kinder to your body. This is really the most important. If trying on clothes is triggering or otherwise hellish, I’m with you. It takes a long time to learn to be kind, and re-homing clothes that don’t spark joy isn’t a magic solution. However, it’s going to be nice for me to be able to reach into my drawers and not worry about feeling shrink-wrapped into whatever pants I pull out. Happy spring!
All images courtesy of the Her Campus Media Library.