BLOG: Reach out and touch something
Making It Work
By Aimee Rancer, Blogger
August 15, 2008 | 3 p.m.
I am hesitant to admit my faults, much like everyone else I know. However, I have to get this off of my chest before it consumes me. OK, (deep breath) here it goes…
I’m Aimee Rancer, age 19, and I touch clothes. I hope it is not as creepy as it sounds. Who am I kidding? It sounds like I should be on "To Catch a Predator" with Chris Hansen asking me what I have in my backpack.
Fortunately, my predicament is a little less severe, and my only vice is that I consistently touch clothing wherever I go, sans backpack. It is a bit of an obsession, really. Cotton, wool, silk, nylon, linen and my personal favorite, velvet. You name it, I touch it.
I am not entirely sure where this little fascination came from to be honest, but it is what it is. My friends give me awkward glances when I shop in stores because I am flying around, whisking my hands over everything. For them, it might be unusual, but I don’t see why. After all, there is good fabric, and there is bad fabric. And let me tell you, the fabric makes a difference. From my observations over the years, I’ve found what works best and what does not.
I would have to say, when all else fails, cotton is the best fabric that I have come across. Through thick and thin, (ha, there’s a little fabric joke for you) cotton has been my best friend. Like the commercial says, it’s the fabric of our lives. And I don’t think they’re joking. So with that said, let’s hear it for that cotton gin. Eli Whitney, we salute you.
With the appreciation of fabrics set aside, there is something kind of exciting when you walk into a store and get that first glance of the set-up of all the different clothing. It’s like a burst of fresh air for me. From what I have gathered from many friends and people I have met in my life, clothing is a minuscule part of life. It’s what you put on your back. It’s what prevents you from being cold. It’s nothing more than on what you spend money that you don't have and just another hassle that you have to go through.
I think people today are being a little too judgmental when it comes to clothes. Sure, it keeps you warm, and well, it can be expensive, too, but come on, people! Throw your jaded cynicism aside and have some fun. And yes, clothing can be fun. Touch clothes! It makes life a bit more exciting, I say.
Don’t pull a Winona Ryder and shove the clothing in your giant duffle bag known as a purse. Instead, check around, and feel it out. It’s like buying a car-- you have to test-drive it to see if you will like it. If you never try, then you will never know. The more that I write this article, I actually begin to believe my little fault is not so much a fault anymore. It’s a quirk, really. And you can never have enough of those, right?
So whether it’s a simple love of fabric or a problem of feeling up clothes, at least I’m admitting it. And, as they say, admitting is the first step.
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