Noi’s Story – Sensitivity to Clothing

 

I have always had strong sensitivities to clothing. For example, I have felt uncomfortable wearing certain textures of clothing such as wool sweaters, skintight pants, jeans, and garments that are sexy and showy. Wool sweaters make my skin itch. I refuse to wear low-rise pants since they almost show my behind and would drive me insane having to pull them up all the time. I prefer to wear elastic pants where I don’t need a belt because I always feel constrained if I put one on. I also dislike wearing sexy tight clothing like real tight pants and shirts that show the torso because I feel it would be provocative to the public. I prefer softer clothing textures such as fleece, flannel, and quick drying. I don’t like thick cotton because I feel it traps moisture more than synthetic garments like shirts and pants, especially during the winter.

 

Although I have always loved looking at different colors and styles of clothing, I have found it frustrating shopping for clothes I like many times like because I wanted a shirt or sweater exactly the how I wanted them. For example, I saw sweaters or pants that were the exact color I wanted but it was the wrong size or pants the perfect size but not the color or texture I wanted. I would spend lots of time at the store wishing the pants or sweater wished for would turn up and then I felt so upset that I didn’t find what I wanted. I now avoid this problem by not shopping for clothing as much as I used to.

 

In the past, I experienced social difficulties in middle and high school because of not wearing the cool and most popular clothing almost every other student wore since I felt they were not my style, especially jeans. I didn’t and still do not like jeans because of the heavy almost scratchy feeling on my skin. Presently, I feel much more relaxed about what to wear in public because I live in a community where people are more casual than where I lived in Maryland.