This is another one of those strange posts that I originally thought was only me. After a lot of online discussion, it appears that there is a common thread amongst aspies. I don't think I've seen this discussed properly in the literature anywhere.
Not following the the fashions
Okay, this bit has been mentioned in the literature as a one-liner. I guess what is being said here is simply that aspies often are dressed like dags. This fits the "aspie as a nerd" image very well. Aspies generally don't like a lot of change and as result, they will often wear similar outfits all the time. In fact, on a recent shopping trip,when I found a shirt that I liked, I bought a couple of pairs in different colours and I was quite tempted to buy a lot more copies.
What attracts aspies to clothing?
- Colourful patterns
In my younger days, I had a vast array of extremely colourful jumpers with patterns which I liked on them. I think the patterning part is pretty obvious but the colours are obviously intended to attract attention. I have a feeling that I was attempting to compensate for my lack of social skills by wearing colours which would make me more noticed. - Similarity to previously liked clothing
I don't go looking for something new and exciting to wear but rather look for something to replace an item of clothing that either no longer fits or has worn through. My shoes have followed the same basic styles for years and I'm always buying the same colour shirts. - Lack of negative texture
Some clothing textures just don't feel right on an aspie. We can almost always tell if clothing has a "bad" texture without even having to try it on. - lack of negative memory
This is hard to explain, so I'll use an example instead. I once went off a particuar type of buttons for years because of their similarity to sliced bananas. I am over that phase now however there are still some buttons which make me squeamish just to look at them. I don't quite know why, but I know banana's are involved (btw: I've only started eating Banana's again in the last 6 months - after not eating them for about 10 years).
Aren't you hot in that jacket?
This is one of the most frequent things aspies are asked about their clothing. I remember walking home every day in 30°C heat wearing a jumper. I never felt the heat despite my mother's complaints when I got home. I simply thought that the texture of the jumper was nicer then the texture of my shirt. I was also afraid that if I took my jumper off, I would probably lose it.
I thought that this behaviour had disappeared once I left school. It obviously hasn't, I just don't have my mother complaining to me about it anymore.
Recently, I went to my sister's 40th birthday party. It was a coldish night, so I wore a long coat. I call it my "Matrix Coat" because it's a little like the coats they wear in the Matrix movies. I was very very comfortable with the coat on and even though it warmed up because the party was held indoors, I still did not take it off.
I must have been asked about 20 times (by nosey do-gooders) why I didn't take the coat off and "wasn't I hot in that coat...". In the end, I finally took the coat off in order to shut people up. I left the party about 10 minutes later, so I'm wondering if the coat was protecting me (making social contact easier).
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