Whether it is a basketball player’s lucky shoes, a boy’s favorite childhood shirt, or a girl’s favorite scarf, it can be hard to part with clothing items.
When clothes are worn consistently, they tend to wear out, and when the time finally comes to throw away these items, students sometimes find they cannot. Why is this?
The No. 1 reason for attachment to articles of clothing is the sentimental value they hold. Significant moments in life can be associated with articles of clothing that were worn during that time.
Chalese Johnson, a freshman biology major from Odgen, said she can’t get rid of a sweatshirt she got while visiting her grandparents in Boston.
“It is six years old and is ripped and worn-out, but I just can’t throw it away,” Johnson said.
She said it reminds her of the good time her family had while they were on vacation, and she doesn’t want that memory to leave.
While the sweatshirt is ripped, Johnson still wears it regularly around campus because it is “cool.”
One student has even gone as far as keeping a shirt from his childhood.
Bubba Hill, a sophomore general education major from Syracuse, said he still has his favorite shirt from when he was young.
“It has Simba’s face on it,” Hill said. “I wore it every single day.”
Hill said “The Lion King” is still his favorite movie, and he just loves the shirt so much that he could not give it away. Hill does not wear his shirt anymore, but he said it is kept in a box at his parents house in Syracuse.
Not only do students feel there is a sentimental connection within their clothing, but they also consider them to be lucky.
James Cannon, a sophomore general education major from Winnemucca, Nev., said he still has his first pair of Vans.
“They get the ladies,” Cannon said.
He said he will keep the shoes until they can’t be physically worn anymore. Cannon wears his Vans at least twice a week and makes sure the shoes are on his feet when he goes on a date.
Just like Cannon, Luis Bonilla, a junior Spanish major from Miami, has a pair of lucky tube socks.
Bonilla said he’d wear the same pair of socks in every football game to bring him luck.
“I would never wash them,” Bonilla said. “I would just spray them with Lysol so they would not smell too bad.”
Bonilla said it was a hard thing for him when he had to finally throw away his beloved socks.
When your favorite article of clothing wears-out, you do not have to throw it away. You can buy a frame and hang important clothes in your home, or put them in a keep-sake box. Quilting stores can also make a T-shirt quilt out of your favorite shirts and shorts. This gives you the option to keep your favorite items close to you without wearing them.
What’s your item of clothing that you just can’t get rid of? Tweet us a picture to @DixieSunNews.
