I am a huge fan of clothes shopping in all its forms but online shopping for me is heaven! With everything going digital these days, the internet has revolutionized the way we shop for so many products. Whilst many may be still skeptical we thought we would share a few of the reasons we opt for online every time!
This month to kick things off, the subject is the fitting room…a destination of which I personally have a complete phobia! It all dates back to an incident many years ago when I literally fell out of one, with jeans around my knees onto the floor of a very busy denim store on a Saturday afternoon. Due to this rather unpleasant and unforgettable episode, it is safe to say I avoid trying anything on in a fitting room ever!
When forced to do so it’s simply an exercise I despise for these five simple reasons:
- The Lighting. The overhead lighting is somewhat unforgiving! Seriously, we don’t need fluorescent lighting to emphasize our every imperfection…if you are trying to get us not to buy anything then believe me it’s working.
- The Mirror. It is an unfortunate necessity in a changing room, but it does often leave me perplexed as to whether I really do look like that. With me, it also brings out an unnecessary habit of squinting, as I have come to the conclusion that the slightly blurry view of me in next to nothing is a touch more pleasant than the harsh reality.
- The Temperature. The fitting room always seems to be 10 degrees warmer than the actual store. I am not too sure whether this is indeed the truth or a perception I have after breaking into a sweat over points 1 and 2. Needless to say in the height of summer one will not find me anywhere near a fitting room.
- The Unwanted Visitor. First and foremost, there is the fitting room attendant politely asking if ‘everything is ok’. (Of course everything is not ok, we just clocked a rear view of our bottom that we could have really done without seeing). Then there is often the emergence of a small child who has crawled underneath the curtain but is quickly dragged back from whence it came by their feet. Last but not least there is the stranger looking for their friend/sister/daughter who, despite your silence to their “Are you in there darling?”, still whips open the curtain just to confirm!
- The Need for Another Size. It goes without saying that the size you grab doesn’t always fit in the way you had intended. If lucky enough to have a fitting room attendant (also known as unwanted visitor from Point 4 but in this case very wanted…we love you really) this can be as easy as passing garments through a curtain whilst you wait and critique your appearance again. However, if trying on in your typical chain store, it is more likely that you will have to fetch these additional sizes yourself which of course means redressing only to undress and redress again in a matter of minutes.
According to research carried out by a team of very clever people, my dislike of fitting rooms is supported by at least 47% of the female population. I have read that the future advancements may bring us magic mirrors and alternative lighting options and even personalized compliments, but until then I am going to order online and try on my clothes at home!
