We’ve all had those “scary” fashion moments (the whole of the 80s comes to mind) – as fun as they were. But imagine if you will, facing your morning wardrobe with absolute dread and fear. Every Monday morning, you say? I am not talking here of a wardrobe packed full of “nothing to wear” or your next “fashion faux-pas” waiting to happen. Nor am I referring to closeted Nudists – you know who you are! And most likely so do your neighbours. I am talking about the ‘VESTIPHOBE’, that small pool of people who suffer a crippling fear of clothing known as ‘VESTIPHOBIA’.
According to PHOBIA SOURCE .com, sufferers may experience all the hallmarks of a full blown panic attack, including “palpitations, tremors and shortness of breath”. Behavioural therapy and medication may help with the severity of the anxiety, but when that doesn’t work the result can be a devastating form of social exile.
Let’s face it, long ago are the days when getting around in a loin cloth was considered acceptable (excluding Venice Beach). Clothes have evolved way past utility; sure, they still provide the basics – the old coverage and warmth factor, but for most of human history apparel has tied itself in so deeply to culture and lifestyle, that it’s near impossible to navigate a modern existence without some thought towards them.
A sufferer or a ‘VESTIPHOBE’ as they are colloquially known, can stem from a form of claustrophobia. Victims describe it as a type of ‘suffocation’ especially from tight or restrictive clothing. They see clothes literally as life-threatening. These can be caused from traumas or events and triggered in later life. Consider what it would be like to fall off a boat fully clothed, the weight of your clothing pulling you down literally denying you breath. The associated memory of such an event could be so overwhelming as to trigger onset phobias. We have all experienced the discomfort of clothing, but we don’t know what the long term effects of those experiences can be.
The disorder poses several questions that need answering. Namely, WHY have these fears developed? And HOW can we prevent/help the victims of this unusual phobia?
As with a lot of mental diseases the ‘why’ is somewhat clearer than the cure, medications can have side effects and act more as suppressant than an antidote. Studies have narrowed the field to a mix of traumatic events with some heredity predispositions.
For a crude example, your childhood fashion choices coupled with longstanding torments could lead to negative feelings around your own personal rituals, altering the way you dress and your relationship to clothing. That scenario in its lightest form could be applied to most of the population. How we dress is a communion of how we are taught to dress and an observation of what others are wearing, to punch out our own unique style or lack thereof- in the case of The Simpson’s Mr Burns.
But seriously, the impact of these scenarios on those with a predisposition to such a disorder can be absolute. Medicine and mental therapies alone will not suffice without general awareness and support from mainstream society. The science behind this and other phobias, can make little headway to a solution without funding and public support, which generally comes through education and awareness. Victims have taken it upon themselves to educate by sharing their experiences online. On one public forum, a young eighteen-year-old VESTIPHOBE shares her own experience with the disease:
“All the clothing I own is VERY loose fitting, and I’m seen as kind of a tomboy because of it. I still feel really uncomfortable and have issues with even the loosest of my clothes, but I manage. Due to all of this I spend most of my time nude. I don’t have an irrational fear of nudity, but I also don’t really enjoy having to live naked for most of my life in front of everyone.” Anonymous, Source:REDDIT.com
She goes onto discuss the impact to her family and her own personal development. The girl remains home-schooled whilst her siblings carry on a separate and different existence; her family accommodate her need for an “uncomfortable” nudity as part of everyday home-life.
Nudity has deep associations with shame for cultural and religious reasons. Even in today’s society there seems to be as many people covering up as they are covering down. For example, the social tensions that surround the BURKA are enough to highlight the tenuous climate we live in.
There is so much association and expectation on what we wear or don’t wear. Social-media is influencing the charge on how young people should portray themselves, and the nudie or nude-selfie is a growing concern. Fear of clothing it seems does not just impact sufferers of VESTIPHOBIA, we can all be subject to an underlying negative experience with the way we dress.
What clothing makes you uncomfortable?