Summary

When I moved from Germany to Scotland in September 2017 to start my Masters my partner took my hoody. I wondered about why she would do that. I asked friends and they did not know either why their partner took their clothes. From there, one question was born: Why do women steal clothes? This soon developed further and more and more questions emerged: Was it only women? How did the person whose clothes were taken feel? Was it different at the beginning at the relationship or at their end? I realized that these questions had never been tackled and so I decided to question participants using qualitative techniques (interviewing focus groups). I also wanted to know whether a larger sample of participants felt the same way so I started an online questionnaire. What I found using thematic analysis (a technique were one looks for common trends between what people say) was really interesting.

Clothes seemed to play a role at all stages of relationships. At the beginning of relationships clothes were used to flirt (i.e. I am so cold, give me your hoody!) but also to see whether the person one was dating was ready for the next stage of the relationship. One participant called this the shit test, to see whether things could get serious. By giving or taking the clothes of a person one dates, and evaluating their reaction, one could see whether things could move from dating to long-term commitment.

Clothes were also used during relationships to maintain it (i.e. make sure that it stays good), especially when the partner was absent. They would then either be worn or at least be kept close to the face to remember the smell of the significant other; to feel comfort and to be close to the other in their absence. Though this was not needed anymore when people started living together, clothes also played a really important role when breaking up. Once the clothes of a partner stop smelling nice, this means that the relationship is going downhill. Clothes then either lose their special significant meaning, or people hold on to them after a dissolution to remember the good times.

Overall, mostly women reported taking their partner’s clothes though this could simply be because men were a bit reluctant to share their emotions. However, both men and women knew about the symbolic meaning of clothes in all relationship stages.

Personal Evaluation

I loved doing this study. I loved being close to my participants, asking them questions and finding out about their experiences. It is yet too early to really evaluate how good this study is though. I have received positive feedback from my markers but the real test will come when I try to get it published. So far, there are a couple of things which I already know weaken the study though:

There was no second person who did the thematic analysis. As such, only my analysis exists at the moment. Because the nature of qualitative research is always subjective my interpretation could be much different from that of another person

I only asked about clothes. Though I think that clothes are special because they carry the smell of a partner, other items could be equally significant. Without means of comparison, this is still up in the air

My self-selected sample was mostly of participants between 18 and 26. It is unclear whether the same phenomenon exists in other age groups or whether this is a relatively new thing

The study can be read here.