But why are we doing this? Buy clothes, never wear them, but still keep them?
Everyone has those items of clothing that always stay in the closet. But you still don’t throw them away, because yes, they will certainly come in handy again. But why are we doing this? Buy clothes, never wear them, but still keep them? A psychologist answers.
1. We are ignoring an important factor
“The most common reason someone buys a piece of clothing that never leaves the closet is because the shopper made some well-intentioned but flawed thoughts during the purchase,” consumer psychologist and researcher Kit Yarrow tells Real Simple. “The typical scenario goes like this: there was something really special about the item, but there was also something that wasn’t quite to your taste, but because it was on sale, the shopper bought it anyway.”
According to Yarrow, this is a classic example of what she calls “choice-supportive cognitive bias.” In simpler English: we ignore the information that does not match what we want. For example, think of a woolen sweater that is so soft that you actually want it just because it is so cuddly. You dismiss the fact that the sweater does not fall within your personal style. Especially when you see that the item is on sale.
2. We buy the fantasy, not the reality
The reason why we enjoy shopping so much, according to Yarrow, is because it often makes us visualize our future selves. “Shopping stimulates our imagination. When we consider purchasing certain items, we imagine how others will react to us, how we will feel when we wear it, and so on.” The problem, however, is that while shopping we sometimes visualize a lifestyle that does not exist. An acquaintance: that we will lose some more weight and that one piece will look beautiful. Or that we will go to a glamorous gala or take a tropical trip.
By the time we realize that that luxury cruise is not going to happen and that the figure we had in mind is not realistic, you often cannot return the item.
3. The item is simply too beautiful
Another reason why a piece of clothing ends up in the closet with the price tags still attached? Because we just think it’s too beautiful to wear. Sounds crazy, but it is indeed a thing, as Yarrow knows. “The phenomenon is called loss aversion,” she says. “It mainly occurs in people who have suffered losses in their youth.” The fear of the garment being ruined is simply too great. Or sometimes people save the item until they finally find a worthy occasion for it. But even under this guise, a piece of clothing can collect dust in a wardrobe for months, even years.
What to do?
Do you stand in front of your wardrobe and notice that you have a lot of blouses, pants, dresses, sweaters or shoes that you are not wearing? Then don’t let them collect any more dust. For example, you could resell the items on Vinted. But you can also do good by donating it to charity. The Salvation Army’s ReShare initiative is eager for your clothing and textiles. Part of the collected clothing goes to people in need and another part is sold at social prices in the ReShare stores. Some of it is also sold to sorting companies and what remains goes to textile recycling.
And now we can hear you thinking: what happens to the proceeds from the resale of the textiles? The Salvation Army uses this to carry out their work (and to continue to do so) and it is used, among other things, to help people in need and to create employment for people in a vulnerable position on the labor market. A nice goal, right? So what are you waiting for. Time to take a critical look at the items in your wardrobe.
Source: Marie Claire | Image: Sex and the City
