Thursday 2 February 2012

A fetish that isn't really a fetish but an appearance hazard ...

Source
I have a handbag fetish. But it's not your ordinary handbag fetish. Because my fetish isn't about buying as many of them as possible. It's about using them until they are so worn out that they are impossible to keep using. But you know what? I still do. And I neglect to acknowledge the fact that the zipper is broken, or the clasp is hanging loose, or the (fake) leather is peeling, or that things are falling into the lining and that I think I've lost them forever until I've realized they're in the lining. I must look like a complete bum carrying them around. I must!

Why can't I bring myself to throw them away? I have about ten years worth of handbags shoved in the bottom of my wardrobe and I can't use them because they DO NOT FUNCTION. And the only reason they ended up there was because I finally accepted the fact that they DO NOT FUNCTION. And no matter how many times I tell myself I need to sort through my handbags, I don't. Because my brain just DOESN'T SEEM TO FUNCTION when it comes to my handbags ...

Do you have a weird fetish/habit? Tell me about it so I don't feel so alone ...

23 comments:

  1. T-shirts, I have a real problem in throwing away old t-shirt. Especially ones I bought whilst traveling. I have t-shirts I bought in Canada 10 years ago still in my cupboard. They are faded, filled with holes and don't fit anymore but I can never bring myself to throw them out.

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  2. LOL, I am exactly the same! While in the UK my youngest handed me an across the body bag in navy. I said that is a different style for me. Both my girls fell about laughing. When I asked why, they told me I have no style when it comes to shoes and bags. They do not take after me. They have hundreds.

    I am going to treat myself and throw away my old one...one day. :)

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  3. The handbag is said to be symbolic of the feminine self. Everything we do we do for a reason - it may look weird but it will have a purpose.

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  4. p.s. having moved more than thirty times in forty-one years of marriage, around Australia and the world, it is hard to hoard anything. But, on reflection, if I have an inability to throw away it is letters. I have almost every letter -snail and net - which has ever been sent to me and copies of most of those I have ever written. I am not sure why but I am sure it will be interesting when I have the time to haul out the boxes and the files and go through them.

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  5. The word fetish makes it sound so much sexier than it really is.

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  6. About three years ago I finally found a purse my husband will hold for me without looking like he is holding a dead mouse. It is leather and looks a bit like an equipment or camera bag. I kept the previous purse in case of blow out and tossed the rest. Ta Da...free at last.

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  7. I'll probably wish I had a handbag fetish after revealing this habit - but hey, when you've got a type of OCD some things are expected. There are times when I can check and check and check..... that I have put a card in an envelope. However, even thought the desired outcome of no longer being able to see the card has been achieved....as I can no longer see the card....I need to take it out again and again and again....just to make sure it is in there.....and because I've taken it out, it is no longer in there...and so.....I think you get the picture. Buying handbags first thing tomorrow morning!!

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  8. Lounge pants. I have one pair that has a tear from the knee all the way to the ankle. I don't care though because they are the most comfortable things in the world.

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  9. I hate being wasteful, so I can relate to your purse "fetish". I generally spent only about $20 on purses and replaced them when necessary, but my sister splurged on me and bought me a Coach bag. It's beautiful, and built to last, so I'll probably be taking it to my grave! The other comments were hysterical- I love starting my day with a good laugh:) It's my first time visiting your blog and I love it! I'll be back.

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  10. I keep the envelopes that letters from Daniel has sent me over the years. Silly I know .
    Love to see Alex in his lounge pants.

    Yvonne.

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  11. I'm the same with shoes. It's really difficult for me to part with them, even after buying new ones to replace them.

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  12. I tried to comment on FB because you posted to my wall, but it kept disappearing! I do the same thing with handbags. :)

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  13. After my own heart... I am 'frugal' so refuse to buy, but then my the time I'm forced to, they have sentimental value and I can't bear to...

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  14. I have this problem with handbags and jeans. I will wear jeans until they are fraying at the bottoms and worn in at the knees and thighs and way past the point where they should be worn. The way I remedy this is by going through my stuff twice a year and FORCING myself to be reasonable. There's a lot of carnage. :-)

    <3 Gina Blechman

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  15. Oh man, I do this with appliances that break or stop working. Because parts of them are still perfectly good! How can I possibly throw it away? So what if I can't use that rice cooker now that the lid shattered . . .

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  16. I'm the same way with jeans as you are with handbags. I'll wear them till they are thread bare and holier than the Bible. Same goes for t-shirts. Although I do designate the holier ones for sleepwear.

    At that point, you would think I'd throw them out right? How's that handbag pile going? Yeah, like that. (Hugs)Indigo

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  17. I do the same with my shoes. I have 2 pairs of shoes at any one time (a pair of dress shoes and a pair of normal shoes) and I wear them until they are literally falling off my feet (seriously, it's happened a few times).

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  18. I have that fetish! Right now, my two favourite handbags have broken zippers and holes in the bottom. But I keep using them!

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  19. At least you get good use out of them! I keep old Christmas and birthday cards and one day I go through them and notice that there are some from 5 or more years ago and I wonder why I keep them in a box where I don't look at them; but it feels so wrong to throw them out. Like I'm somehow slighting the person who gave them to me.

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  20. LOL. Can totally relate! The top shelf in my closet is a disaster. I think there's something comfy about a purse that's been around a bit. A purse should hold more than money and things; it should hold memories, too.

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  21. For me, it isn't handbags, it's clothes. I have clothes from fifteen years ago -- that I currently wear as often as my newer stuff. Something has to be downright threadbare for me to throw it away. And even then, an article of clothing will hang in my closet several years after I stop wearing it before I actually throw it away. I'm sure psychologists would have a ball analyzing us!

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  22. I simply cannot throw away old comfortable t-shirts or socks. I am talking about t-shirts that I can never wear in public (and sweat pants), but that are so comfortable I change into them as soon as I walk in the door.

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  23. Unfortunately, I have this problem with a fair bit of stuff. I'm nowhere near the hoarder I used to be, thankfully, and I'd never ever qualify for one of those Hoarders TV show episodes ;) But still, I find it hard to let go of stuff even if I'm not ever going to wear it...or use it...or read it...again.

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