Does your man influence your wardrobe choices?
How would you feel if a boyfriend dictated what you were going to wear today? Well, if it’s six and a half months into a relationship there’s a chance that you’ve already done it to them.
A new study by Marks & Spencer and Oxfam’s Shwopping initiative has shown that six and a half months into a relationship is when women put their foot down in the war of the wardrobes and change their partner’s fashion sense.
Just under half of the women polled even admitted to throwing away their partner’s fashion faux pas into the bin without them knowing, 15% took it one stage further by putting them in the wrong wash on purpose.
The study found the top five fashion turn-offs we have:
- Meggings (men wearing leggings)
- Onesies
- Leather trousers
- Three-quarter length trousers
- Flip-flops
But don’t think that you don’t have fashion items that your boyfriend doesn’t like either.
The top five fashion turn-offs for men, according to the survey, are:
- Onesies
- Jeggins
- Velour tracksuits
- Animal print clothing
- Boob tubes
Jo Hemmings, behavioural psychologist and relationship coach said:
"I wasn’t surprised to see that it takes just over six months for women to take control and purge their partner’s wardrobe of any style faux pas. During the ‘honeymoon’ period, we tend to be blissfully unaware of any negatives in our new partner or let the little things go over our heads. This is why items which scream lost youth or fashion slave can be perfectly acceptable in the early part of a relationship, but as we grow more comfortable with our partners we become less able to bite our tongue.
“Given our clothing taste is deeply personal, it can be a shock to our self-esteem to find our partners so repelled by something we love to wear - so much so that they would smuggle them into the bin. We are all entitled to express our individuality and style is a form of essential independence, healthy in any relationship. A little consideration, communication and compromise can go a long way to keeping it that way!”
David Beckham is the male celebrity that women wished their partners dressed like, and Cheryl Cole topped the male vote for their girlfriends wardrobe influence.
However, it is bad news for those that dress like Russell Brand and Katie Price as they topped the looks partners find a turn-off. But not surprising really.
However, the study also revealed that there is a growing trend for couples morphing into relationship lookalikes with 47% admitting to wearing similar outfits regularly, following in the footsteps of David and Victoria Beckham.
M&S and Oxfam’s Shwopping collaboration urges shoppers to donate - or ‘shwop’ - an unwanted item of clothing that will go on to be re-sold, re-used or recycled by Oxfam, cutting waste while also raising much-needed funds for the charity.
With over 1 billion items sent to landfill each year in the UK, the retailer is calling on Brits to adopt a ‘buy one, give on back’ culture when they shop.
On Thursday May 9th, the retailer is asking customers to help ease the landfill burden as part of a special ‘money off’ One Day Wardrobe Clear Out Shwopping event that will see those who shwop receive a £5 money-off voucher when they spend £35 or more on fashion in-store.
Since its launch in April, Oxfam has received over 3.8 million items of clothing thanks to Shwopping, worth over £2.3 million for the charity. All money raised by Shwopping is used to support Oxfam’s projects around the world working to alleviate poverty.