Have you tossed out your thinspiration?

17th June 2008

Have you tossed out your thinspiration?

posted in Personal |

I miss the Fab Five, but luckily many have gone on to host their own shows, including stylish host Carson Kressley of the body-affirming Lifetime reality show “How to Look Good Naked.” Kressley’s “perception revolution” transforms women from self-loathing to self-accepting, all without losing a pound or undergoing a nip or tuck. Now he speaks with InStyle to give women tips on how they give themselves an entire makeover, both inside and out. Here are a few of his tips:

Don’t be ruled by your insecurities
If you’ve been avoiding the beach or missing out on parties because you’re afraid of being the largest person there, grab a friend and go to the very place that incites terror–just be sure you’re wearing an amazing outfit.

Write yourself a love note
Some women are so obsessed with their hips that they fail to notice their flat tummy. Remind yourself of your virtues by writing a note that says something like “Hey, you have a great chest!” Tack it to the bathroom mirror so you’ll see it in the morning and before bedtime. “We’re so trained to look for the negative that we need a physical reminder of the positive,” explains Kressley.

If all else fails, fake it
One of Kressley’s favorite mantras is “looking cute is feeling cute.” So if you’re having a low day, force yourself to go through the motions. Put on your makeup, do your hair, wear a great outfit. Sometimes faking it can give you enough of a boost to lift you out of the doldrums. “Feeling pretty,” Kressley says, “changes your whole outlook because you feel good about yourself.”

All great tips, but the tip that most struck me?

Clean out your closet
Whether you’re holding on to clothes that are too small because you hope you’ll fit into them someday, or clothes that are too big for fear you’ll grow back into them, you’re keeping past wounds open. “Old clothes stop you from living in the present,” says Kressley. “They reinforce what you used to look like.” Get rid of anything you haven’t worn in two years and replace it with something new that makes you feel pretty. And while you’re out shopping, have a house-cleaner swing by for good measure.

Throughout my diet, which would later develop into an eating disorder, I lost 175-pounds. Because I went from a size 26 down to a size 4, I accumulated lots of clothing in a variety of sizes, mostly from thrift and consignment stores because I lost weight so rapidly. And each time I went down a size, I threw out the higher sizes as a way of weight-loss validation and reinforcement that I would never, ever be that size again. Shame… I had some really cute clothes that I miss now that I have regained some of the weight.

I still have boxes upon boxes of clothes in sizes 4 – 10, clothing that I will most likely never wear again, but still cannot bring myself to throw out or donate. Because they’re stored away in our basement, I don’t really think of them that often or go through them, which is good because it’s not healthy or constructive for me. I went on a big full-house cleaning spree a couple years ago in which I also organized the basement. I looked through some of my cuter skinny clothes – they don’t make these kinds of cute clothes in plus-sizes – and first felt awe that I was once able to fit in them, and then a kind of sadness, both for the dream of thinness I had finally achieved for one brief period of my life and then just as quickly lost, and for all the sacrifice and effort and torment involved in reaching that size.

I used to buy thinspirational clothing in smaller sizes as “encouragement” to continue losing weight, but now, I look for clothes that flatter my current body and shape and try to resist even the cutest of cute pieces in just one size smaller like the totally cute pink retro jacket I just saw at a local consignment shop for just $14. I don’t need that kind of temptation hanging in my closet, whispering “If you only lost 10 pounds, you could wear me.” But I’m also not quite ready to throw out all my boxed-up skinny clothes, although I will leave them in the basement where they continue to gather dust and act as cardboard Legos for the cats to climb and play on. It’s not that they act as thinspiration for me, although I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish I had that body again. But at the same time, they also remind me of where I’ve been and where I don’t want to return.

How about you? Have you managed to throw away your skinny clothes or other thinspiration? How did it make you feel? If not, why do you still hang onto them?

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1 On June 17th, 2008, Tia said:

I have one of my very fav pair of jeans that I’ve saved. For 2 reasons actually. They’re vintage “Guess” jeans (yes, really), and then of course they’re really tiny, which I am not.

I don’t think about them either, but what brings it all home is if I try on something from not too long ago, that does not fit. Then I get quite bummed out.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 12:20 pm

2 On June 17th, 2008, Epiphany Alone said:

For the most part. I was able to let go of my size 6-10s after I had my eldest daughter. I have a closet full of 12-14s in my basement that I should let go of as my body settled into a 16 after the birth of my younger daughter.

I don’t know if this is helpful or just assvice. Charities such as The Lupus Foundation will come and pick up your boxed or bagged clothing which would insulate you from having to sort through and have to deal with some potential triggers.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 12:50 pm

3 On June 17th, 2008, Curvy Angela said:

I love clothes,and particularly, I love my clothes. I know their names (designer or store of origin), I know the story of their coming to live with me. I’m sad when I have to part with my wardrobe.

I gave up long ago on “thinspirational” clothing. I believe in the psychic connection between physical clutter and emotional/mental/spiritual clutter–decluttering the closet leads to decluttering body image. However, even in the healing exercise of clearing the closet, I get nervous about letting go of certain clothing items. However, it’s not really the thin clothes that I worry about–it’s the cute clothes in larger sizes that I don’t wear anymore. It is so hard to find cool, cute, plus-size clothes, and I fear letting go of something in a size that I may wear again.

It’s amazing to me the amount of fear connected to our clothes and our closets. I can feel the knot in my solar plexus as I type.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 12:51 pm

4 On June 17th, 2008, Karen said:

I have a couple of items that I continue to keep even though they’re too small. In both cases, though, they’re things that I bought online in the largest possible size, hoping it might work, but upon their arrival found to be too small. I try very hard to get angry at the manufacturers and retailers when I see them, rather than at myself, but it doesn’t always work.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 1:11 pm

5 On June 17th, 2008, Yorke said:

I just got very upset about this very issue the other day while driving in my car. I thought of a cute, size XL shirt that I used to have and how I’d thrown it out thinking I’d NEVER EVER EVER let myself get that large again. And here I am. I still have two pair of size 4 pants, some 8s, and a 10. I’m glad I had set my “throw away bar” at 12 so I don’t have to buy an entire new wardrobe.

I’ve read similar posts in this realm about throwing the clothes out. And clothing, more than weight on the scale, is what hurts me the most. I struggle so much to let go of clothes… And shopping for new ones is a horror-inducing activity. I’ll get there eventually, though!

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 1:18 pm

6 On June 17th, 2008, pennylane said:

I have a closet full of Diane von Furstenburg dresses (from Bluefly, I am not independently wealthy). Sigh.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 1:24 pm

7 On June 17th, 2008, Sony said:

I finally got rid of everything that doesn’t fit a few months ago. I had a pair of Levi’s that I wore in high school (1985) still sitting in a drawer. I had to really dive into the science of why I wasn’t ever going to lose it before accepting that I wasn’t ever going to lose it. Once I got there, tossing everything out was easy.

Now my wardrobe is a lot smaller, but a lot better. New rules: don’t buy it if it doesn’t look fantastic on me now, and if I don’t get a compliment on it the first three times I wear it, it gets donated. At a size 24, this is difficult, but the rule evolved from having a few fabulous things that I constantly get complimented on and (duh) I started wearing them more. I think I’m developing a better eye for what looks good on me now that I’m not grossing out over the size of my whatever when I try something on.

It’s worth spending the money to have a great basic wardrobe. I have to say I don’t wear those clothes all the time – they are expensive and they come off the minute I walk in the door. At home I still live in Lane Bryant t-shirts and sweats or shorts from Junonia.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 1:33 pm

8 On June 17th, 2008, NakedBrokeMommy said:

Boy, ever since my Husband lost a lot of hours at work and I quit my job to stay home with my type1 diabetic Daughter, I sure could use some clothes!!!

Like really, really, really bad!!
I have been wearing the same striped tank and capri’s for-frickin’-ever!!!

I NEVER go out and NEVER get my nails done, like EVER!!!!!!
I lost 135 pounds in 2 years b/c I had to cut my caloric intake by 75-80% given that I am VERY, VERY broke AAALLLL the time!!!
I sure hope my cute as a button 2 year old Son (who’s birthday is up in a week and I can’t do Jack Squat about it) doesn’t end up Diabetic, too..

I tell ya, some new clothes sure would bring sunshine and happiness to this Mommy on the absolute and utter edge of insanity and run-awayingness….

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 1:47 pm

9 On June 17th, 2008, BigLiberty said:

Over the past two years, during which I’ve recovered from my ED, I’ve gone from a 16 to a 26. I started life before my ED at a 24, so that makes sense — base size + extra padding for the next famine = one size larger than my setpoint would have been if I hadn’t been taken by my ED.

I’ve tried to be very good at donating to Planet Aid whenever I get too big for something (usually pants — my size in shirts has only gone from a 14 to an 18, as I predominantly gain in my lipidemic areas). I still have some things floating around that don’t fit from last year, which is only annoying in the sense that I liked the style of the garment and hate to see money going down the drain. It certainly doesn’t make me feel bad about myself not to fit in those items, only rather stressed that now I have to go out and buy some more clothes, when money’s really, really tight.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 1:53 pm

10 On June 17th, 2008, Rachel said:

Yorke wrote: And clothing, more than weight on the scale, is what hurts me the most.

I always love to go shopping, but I hear you. It’s much more fun to go shopping when you’re a straight size. If I could have the same cute clothes and the same self-assuredness that comes with having a wide array of figure-flattering and stylish clothes at my current size, I probably would have much better self-confidence and esteem. It’s not my weight so much as it is a lack of clothing options that bothers me about my current size. It used to be that all I had to do was wear a pair of thrift store jeans with a black shirt and one of my velvet scarves and I looked cool and cosmopolitan. Now, I just feel frumpy most of the time. Luckily, there are lots of up and coming plus-size shops that offer cool clothes, but they’re mostly internet companies and can be pretty pricey. Plus, I’m in an in-between size – I shop for shirts in the miss section, but pants in the plus-size section – and the plus-size only shops’ tops are usually too big for me.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 1:54 pm

11 On June 17th, 2008, Jackie said:

I don’t own any thinspiration clothes, at least to my knowledge. I mean, who knows what hides in the depths of my closet, lol. I buy alot of those baby-tees from Torrid. Those are super-cute in my opinon, as well as comfortable. I really am too busy to bother with worrying about thinspiration.

I don’t see the point in wasting my time over it, I don’t really know why other women do. I mean, yeah I know it’s the media and social pressure and all of that. I am starting to belive the feminist notion, that weight control is just another means of keeping women complacent, so they won’t actually go out and try to make a difference in what is traditionally a guy’s world.

I do get annoyed with the idea, that there’s something wrong cause I’m a homebody who spends alot of time in front of the TV, and therfore am killing myself via being sedentary. Alot of people act as if something is wrong if you’re not running along a treadmill like a hampster on the running wheel daily. People forget that you burn calories simply by getting out of bed in the morning, and even then you burn calories when you sleep. I wish video games and TV would stop being blamed for all the world’s ills, let alone obesity.

We’re the healthiest we’ve been in history, and yet we keep trying to convince ourselves despite all reason, we’re sick. How crazy is that?

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 1:58 pm

12 On June 17th, 2008, Rachel said:

Oh, Yorke, I wanted to add: I have a lot of trouble finding pants that fit my shape right. Most are too big in the waist while too small in the leg – Seriously, do designers model their plus-size pants after women who resemble chickens? I’ve looked at name brand stores liek JC Penney, Kohl’s, Target, Sears and even Lane Bryant but I’ve had very little luck. Then I found the most awesome pair of dark-stain wide-leg jeans at of all places? Wal-Mart. For just $16 – $20. I’m wearing them now and they are so, so flattering and comfortable. So, I guess it isn’t impossible finding pants that flatter me and make me feel good, I just have to spend 10 times more time looking in a wider variety of stores. It’s worth it though, these pants are awesome.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 2:05 pm

13 On June 17th, 2008, Yorke said:

I’m an in-between, too! I’ve got enormous thighs which makes pants-shopping difficult. I’m happy to hear about up and coming plus size stores. Every year or so I make the trip 250 miles to a Torrid. I’m soooo going to Wal-Mart after work! Thanks for the tip! I’ve been trying on wide-legged pants and having found any so I’m going to check it out. Thanks for the tip!

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 3:17 pm

14 On June 17th, 2008, Jamie said:

I have a pair of jeans that I have never worn, that “almost” fit me when I bought them, and that I have moved with me through California, Maryland, DC, and Virginia.
Every time I move, these jeans come with me.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 3:23 pm

15 On June 17th, 2008, mustelid said:

I find myself desperately clinging to jeans and shorts from decades past. Not b/c of any thinspiration thing; I just absolutely loathe the hideous ‘lowrise’ trend which has taken over pants manufacturing in recent years. At best, there’s a bit of a sag in front. At worst, the damn things make me look freakishly deformed. No, really. The local Goodwill is a lifesaver, and hopefully clothing manufacturers will come to their senses soon, and start making pants that actually come near the wearer’s navel.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 3:32 pm

16 On June 17th, 2008, Mel said:

All that stuff is gone from my wardrobe now, but it had to happen in stages and I made sure to have replaced most of my favorites first. I just want a new favorite pair of awesome jeans… those get more elusive the bigger I get, but that’s ok. Wearing too tight jeans is a major trigger for me, so I’m not going to try and squeeze into anything too small any more.

It was hard for me to clean out my closet in this last stage but I had a quiet evening at home, the sun was shining in, and nice music playing. I had to be ruthless about sorting. I didn’t let my emotional attachments make decisions this time. There were four piles: Like&Fits, Don’t Like&Fits, Like&Doesn’t Fit, and Don’tLike&Doesn’t Fit. It’s amazing how fast it went when I did it that way. The first pile got hung up and everything else disappeared into a black trash bag to go to Goodwill. I want to love anything new that I buy and this makes it a lot easier to see what I actually have, not to mention how much easier it makes tidying up.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 3:37 pm

17 On June 17th, 2008, Rachel said:

I love wide-legged pants; they’re flattering on so many body shapes. I wore them even when I was a size 6 and they looked great on me. But it’s getting harder and harder to find real wide-legged pants in the age of the Skinny Jeans comeback. I can find flare, bootcut and hordes and hordes of horrible tapered jeans, but not a lot of wide-legged pants. Maybe I ought to go back and get another pair

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 3:55 pm

18 On June 17th, 2008, Kate said:

I’ve gotten rid of everything. When I looked at those clothes closely, I realised most of them weren’t me anymore, even if I still liked them. I have a rule now too, that I NEVER buy something just because it fits.. I have to love it too, it has to be me.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 4:15 pm

19 On June 17th, 2008, Jen said:

Pennylane, what sizes? I’m not independently wealthy either, but maybe one working girl can help out another by buying some of her old DVF’s?

Maybe what this blog needs is a righteous clothing swap. One woman’s trigger is another woman’s treasure.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 4:46 pm

20 On June 17th, 2008, Rachel said:

A clothing swap is an awesome idea, Jen. Have you ever heard of the Freecyle network? It allows people to offer their stuff for free to others, or people post for (free) things they need. I think a similar program for women’s clothing would be awesome. I’m currently working on a messageboard for this site and I will include a swap section in it. The board should be released soon!

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 5:09 pm

21 On June 17th, 2008, Kelly said:

Jackie, you’re so right! It is a way of keeping women in a postition where they can’t change much.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 6:26 pm

22 On June 17th, 2008, Misha said:

I can’t stand to get rid of clothes; most of mine was originally thrift store stuff anyway but some was bought new (in about 1985 though)and I have stuff in every possible size I’ve ever been. My weight has gone up and down a lot over the years, sometime intentionally and sometimes not. I just put away whatever doesn’t fit and keep the stuff that does fit more accessible.

I agree with the previous poster who dislikes low rise pants; I am a very curvy person and most new pants in the stores these days gape hugely at the waist if I buy them big enough to fit my hips. I miss the 1980′s styles, stuff just fit me better back then (which is why I still wear them)

I get rid of clothes that make me feel bad and keep the ones that make me feel good just to have them, even if they don’t actually fit and probably never will again. I just like to still have them, they’re like old photophraphs, things to remember. I have a sky blue suede jacket and skirt that is some impossibly small size with shoulder pads that would better suit a football player but when I look at it I remember the day I defended my dissertation. I even still have my high school kilt. That’s just me. I will never get rid of some of this stuff. The hundred pairs of jeans, those I will work on letting go of.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 6:40 pm

23 On June 17th, 2008, SugarLeigh said:

I’ll begin by saying that I’m very new to FA/HAES, so there are some ways in which I haven’t given up the thin fantasy yet, though I think I have made strides. It might partly explain the relationship I have with the jeans I used to call The Goal Pants.

They were a gift from my sister. “They didn’t have your size,” she had said, “but I remembered that you are trying to lose weight, so I thought, you’d fit into them soon.” What a thoughtful gift! Certainly, they were exactly my style.

I hung them in my closet where I could see them every time I opened it. The idea was that I would remember how great it would be to fit into them, and how it would solve all my self esteem problems somehow to wear cute pants. Okay, well… these aren’t just any old cute pants. To me they are THE cute pants. They are jeans with this impossibly intricate embroidered scene on the back, very Asian in feel (I have a big love for many of the visual art styles that began in the East).

I would not even have to lose that much weight to get into them… like maybe two inches off my tummy and hips. I think that’s what makes it so impossible to throw them away or turn them into a pillow even though I am not on a weight loss diet and don’t plan to go on one. I mean, I don’t know what I think I’m waiting for– like, am I keeping them in case I come down with coccidia, or what? But every time I look at the little figure wrestling with the koi and imagine how much fun it would be to have it emblazoned across my butt, I put the jeans back in the closet. I no longer put them where I can readily see them… but they’re there.

A betraying part of me still wants so desperately to fit into those pants. And for a vain and selfish reason, too: I know I will get much approval from my family and my boyfriend if I do. Yeah. There it is. Not for me. Not for my health, or my self-image, but for empty props from people whom I know to love me anyway.

I imagine that somehow making love to the man I love will be sweeter if I am smaller; somehow, he will want me more. That running will be easier or better, when I already figured out that I don’t actually love running, I just love the idea of loving running. That I will shake my embroidery-adorned butt and finally deserve to love what’s under those cute clothes, that somehow a few less pounds will validate my existence or grant me beauty I somehow don’t otherwise have.

All ridiculous. All self-loathing. All lies. All truly thoughts I have had.

If this isn’t proof that reality isn’t as objective as people imagine it to be… there is no proof then.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 7:08 pm

24 On June 17th, 2008, Charlynn said:

Getting rid of my skinny clothes felt like a nightmare. It was two years before I acknowledged that I wouldn’t ever fit into them again and that was okay. It took me even longer to part with the one pair of size 0 jeans I had. They looked so tiny and I nostalgiclly marveled at how, years before, I fit into them. I kept them as a memento for the longest time and finally got rid of them earlier this year. I stil miss them, and I know that’s twisted.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 8:19 pm

25 On June 17th, 2008, Devi said:

“I still have boxes upon boxes of clothes in sizes 4 – 10, clothing that I will most likely never wear again, but still cannot bring myself to throw out or donate.”

That’s definately me. I don’t plan to ever fit in them again but I just can’t bring myself to donate them – epscially this one jacket.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 8:38 pm

26 On June 17th, 2008, Rachel said:

There are some clothes for me that I truly don’t want to part with because they are one-of-a-kind. I love to wear what I call grandma shirts, vintage shirts I find at thrift stores. Unfortunately, it’s a rarity to find one in a size above 12. So, I really really hate to part with some of my unique vintage wear, even if I can’t wear it now (or again). It’s not about the weight necessarily, but the clothes itself.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 8:44 pm

27 On June 17th, 2008, Kally said:

Only just found this site and I’m loving it. Feeling so inspired reading everything, it’s just brilliant.

I love shopping. really love it. After some very very long conversations with a dear friend of mine I’m starting to love the curves I’ve got.
I love to dress that show that I’m proud and not try to hide my size.

Most of the clothes in my cupboard fit me apart from one. It’s a dress I wore and fitted into perfectly a few years back and it’s still in my cupboard as a reminder.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 8:56 pm

28 On June 17th, 2008, Mindy said:

About a year ago I started the closet purge. I didn’t get rid of all the big and small stuff at first, but started with the biggest and smallest and slowly worked my way toward the middle. I admit that I have about two or three tops on the smaller side and two or three on the larger side. They are good for those days of the month when you feel thinner or feel fatter and I won’t get rid of those. They aren’t “lose/gain 10 pounds” clothes.

I also agree with the tip about trying to look good even if I’m having an off day. As you all know, some days you get up and you just feel… blech. If I wear something cute and put on some light but flattering makeup and do my hair, it does make me feel a little better during the day.

One of the best things that helps me is keeping my hair the way I like it. If I don’t keep it trimmed it gets straggley and I end up wearing it up more than down, and I know it looks better down than up and I FEEL better when it’s down. I’m also no longer plucking out greys. I’m 37 and have black hair, and each grey hair is very obvious to me, but to heck with it — I’m getting older and I’m determined to accept it gracefully. Jamie Lee Curtis is my hero, lol.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 9:05 pm

29 On June 17th, 2008, Fermi said:

Clothes have so much emotional weight. They are my external self. I keep clothes in four number sizes because my size does fluctuate and I have this horrible fear of not fitting into my clothes.

Buying clothes that are too small for “thinspiration” is horrible. We all need to focus on accepting who we are today and loving who we are TODAY.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 9:26 pm

30 On June 17th, 2008, tiptoe said:

I have a pair of jeans that I really need to let go of. It’s a constant reminder of when I was thinner, but yet, I just have the most horrible time of giving them up. It sucks how much meaning clothes can have sometimes.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 9:49 pm

31 On June 17th, 2008, Kristie said:

Not long after I found the fatosphere, I started shopping for cute stuff that fit and made me feel good, and purging the closet of everything that didn’t fit or made me feel bad. I gave everything but the one-size-smaller stuff to Goodwill, and that stuff I kept because, dammit, jeans are expensive, and I could have the flu. Who knows? But I got it out of the closet, and the size 20s are in a garbage bag and put away. My goal was, and remains, for every single thing in my closet to be wearable without a thought. I had no idea how freeing all that purging would be; if I had, I would’ve done it sooner.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 11:54 pm

32 On June 17th, 2008, Heather said:

Unfortunately, I never had “old skinny clothes,” I was pretty much a chubby girl since I was six. So my only “thinspirational” clothes I have are my two older sisters’ old thin clothes THEY can no longer fit into lol. That and a “medium” black takini I bought cuz I thought it was cute (didn’t even try to see if it would stretch to fit since I am already shopping in XL everything else). Anyway, by the time I am able to wear some of the clothes I am saving from my sisters, they’ll probably disintegrate. I can’t believe how skinny my sisters used to be.

posted on June 17th, 2008 at 11:56 pm

33 On June 18th, 2008, HeatherRadish said:

Timely. Last weekend I was finally tackling some boxes I hadn’t unpacked since I moved in two years and found about six pairs of size 16 and 18 denim shorts. With a waistband at the actual waist and no spandex (I miss jeans that weren’t designed to show off your panties, I really do). I figure they’ve been in that box for 7-8 years, because 2000 was the first time I gained 40 lbs on anti-depressants.

And it made me violently sad. I hate my current body. The shorts were about half as wide as I am these days.

But it was easy to pack them up and donate them–I took them to Goodwill as soon as I was done in that closet–because after two years I’d forgotten I even had them.

I still have a whole lot of clothes that fit that I can’t stand, because I have a job that requires them, but not much I can do about that.

posted on June 18th, 2008 at 1:06 am

34 On June 18th, 2008, Godless Heathen said:

I actually hang onto clothes that are a bit bigger on me in the hope that I can afford to get them taken in one day. I got a few really great deals on a clearance rack. Ah hell it’s so hard to find anything cute I just had to have them and I swore I’d make them work. They’re still sitting in there, waiting to be altered. I’m terrified that the $3 skirt is going to cost me $20 to get fixed.

But pants that are too small get repurposed into fabric, especially jeans and khakis. I’m trying to decide what to do with all the denim, I’m thinking of sewing a patchwork skirt of some sort. Shirts that are too small don’t get discarded unless there’s no way I can turn them into comfortable sleepwear, and again, anything with good enough fabric goes into my sewing pile instead of being given away. I can’t afford to get rid of anything anymore!

posted on June 18th, 2008 at 7:43 am

35 On June 18th, 2008, Kally said:

Oh, I remember when I grew out of my favourite pair of jeans. I was 13 and completely shattered. I dieted like crazy but never got back into them.
I spent a day in bed miserable, woke up the next morning and got out the sewing machine.
They’re still my favourite pair of jeans but now they’re in the shape of a handbag

posted on June 18th, 2008 at 7:55 am

36 On June 18th, 2008, Rachel said:

Kally – That’s a great and healthy way to remember your favorite pair of jeans

posted on June 18th, 2008 at 8:52 am

37 On June 18th, 2008, Kally said:

Rachel – Thanks
I was actually looking at it the other day and I said to myself “God, I wish it was bigger!”
Something I never thought I’d say

posted on June 18th, 2008 at 9:20 am

38 On June 18th, 2008, MrsDrC said:

I hold onto the stuff that’s too big. One thing I jsut cant part with is the sweather my Mom knit for my older (skinny) sister back when she was 16 or so. It was made to be HUGE, as was the style back in the mid 80′s, but has in the past fit me great. Just cuz my Mom knit it, and it’s got a “Made Especially for you by Orvine” tag in it, I CANT part with it.

The closest I’ve come to thinsperation clothing was my maternity clothing. I lost an amount of weight while pregnant and had to buy down for maternity clothes. Giving them to my best friend for her pregnancies was a great way to say bye-bye to them.

I’m kinda the opposite of a packrat, I throw thing out a lot.

posted on June 18th, 2008 at 10:15 am

39 On June 18th, 2008, Kristine said:

Funny, I just donated two huge bags of clothes yesterday! In that lot was a wool jacket I have held on to for 20 years. I bought it in the UK when I was a student and for some reason, just didn’t want to let it go. It was so heavy though, I could not wear it in California even if it did fit–not unless I went to the snow–go figure.

I have held onto some clothes that my mother made for me that I will never fit again, because she is gone and they are beautiful. I love having evidence of her skill in tailoring, and I will likely keep them forever unless I have a skinny interested niece or something. They are over 20 years old but I don’t obsess over that size; I have them packed away in mothballs in the garage. I just love having something she made, to me there is magic in that!

posted on June 18th, 2008 at 11:07 am

40 On June 18th, 2008, Gerald said:

All the cute clothes I used to wear during my “skinny phase” got passed on to my best friend, who just so happens to be a natural 27 waist (I’ve settled into a healthier 29/30). I used to feel slightly resentful about all my cute skinny clothes being worn by someone else, but lately I’m more shocked at how demode some of my old clothes look! and on top of that, I find that he’s usually wanting to wear all of my new, cuter, larger clothes muahaha

posted on June 18th, 2008 at 12:19 pm

41 On June 18th, 2008, Rhia said:

I agree with Curvy Angela. I think clothes can hold a certain energy and aren’t good to keep for a karmic reason. If it doesn’t fit, it goes. If I haven’t worn it in 2 seasons (and it does fit), it goes. I go through everything when I switch from winter to summer stuff and the above statements are my guidelines.

When I first started this practice, I found it hard to get rid of clothes that didn’t fit me anymore because they did hold a lot of memories of what size I used to be. They also reminded me that I would not get to that size again without seriously hurting myself in the process. When I finally decided on my above guidelines for getting rid of clothes, I also realized that if the clothes made me feel good when I owned them, hopefully they would make someone else feel that good when they owned them. I liked that feeling of being able to offer someone else some thing.

Your clothing swap sounds fabulous; however, I just got rid of my extras by donating to the diabetes foundation. Good luck with your swap.

posted on June 18th, 2008 at 2:17 pm

42 On June 18th, 2008, DawnD said:

My closets are impossible at the moment. I really need to clean them out. But I just have not been able to face the task. I still have some ordinary stuff from before I was pregnant. My daughter is 11. In the past year or so (since I started reading these blogs, mostly), I have made some progress. Some of the older stuff, the less interesting stuff, I’ve managed to donate. But there are some things that I just cannot seem to get rid of: a) things I made, b) costume pieces. Worse yet of course, are costume pieces that I made. I justify keeping them until my daughter might be able to wear them. Which ought to be just about any day now. (Well, not really, but sometimes it feels that way!)

posted on June 18th, 2008 at 10:36 pm

43 On June 19th, 2008, Cassandra said:

Nope, I confess — I still have most of them. I tossed out my FAT clothes a few years back and now I am struggling because I don’t have any clothes to wear… however this is due to my lack of physical fitness anymore.

I’m not ready to get rid of my healthier looking clothes. Some are really thin, but most are just healthier. I have never been skinny, just unhealthy and still classified as overweight by doctors.

posted on June 19th, 2008 at 7:22 am

44 On June 20th, 2008, Jen said:

Kally – Right on with the denim handbag! That’s exactly the sort of thing I was thinking when someone said they didn’t want to part with one-of-a-kind stuff. Re-sizing and re-purposing are both awesome.

Rachel – I heart Freecycle. I have definitely given and received some great stuff on the Boston list. But I can’t wait to see the new board you’re working on!

posted on June 20th, 2008 at 1:05 pm

45 On June 23rd, 2008, susan said:

Sigh. I have been struggling with the idea of finally getting rid of every piece of clothing that doesn’t fit, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to do it. I did get rid of a lot of the too-small clothing, but kept some things that I loved. I have to face the fact that I really do want to lose some weight.

You hit it totally on the nail for me when you said that you used to feel great just tossing on a pair of jeans and a top, but it’s more of a struggle now. I feel exactly the same way. Even if everything in my closet fit me, I’d still try on ten outfits and settle for the least yucky one.

posted on June 23rd, 2008 at 3:02 pm

46 On November 10th, 2008, tall girl said:

i gots myself a pair of UK size 4′s in the hope that by summertime i will be that small (Y)
i reallly love them and hopefully theyll fit
im 6″1 so i dont have a clue how much i’de need to weigh :S
im just gonna go for it XD

posted on November 10th, 2008 at 1:11 pm

47 On November 10th, 2008, Rachel said:

That’s sad to hear, tall girl. It’s even especially more sad that you seemed to miss the point of this post, which is to discard thinspiration and the destructive mentality that accompanies those items.

posted on November 10th, 2008 at 2:50 pm