A Shrunken Jumper

 Well, sometimes a shrunken jumper is not just a shrunken jumper. At times, we all find ourselves reaching for a protective outer layer that feels comfortable and comforting because it is impenetrable. We unconsciously believe that this psycho-emotional thermal will shield us from the cold, darkness and rejection that threaten to come from other people and, perhaps more frighteningly, from within us. It feels safe and warm inside this protective force field - but the reality is that, in a fundamental way that has nothing to do with oxygen, we cannot breathe. We might feel relieved to be at a distance from others who could reject us, but we might also find ourselves unable to make contact with others who could offer us love, care and attention. And we might find ourselves unable to love them back...

The Yellow Jumper
William Mouat Loudan (1868-1925)
Photo Credit: Atkinson Art Gallery Collection [CC BY-NC-SA]

I often wonder about the psychological and emotional meaning of wearing clothes that cling: skinny jeans, skintight T-shirts and Kim Kardashian's Skims shapewear. I think it's not just about how these clothes make us look, but also about how we want to feel inside. Deep down, we crave a feeling of emotional containment, but this kind of psychological skin cannot be ordered online. When we are missing a sense of feeling secure with boundaries, safe within ourselves - unable to find meaning in our emotions and thoughts, instead feeling constantly overwhelmed by them - perhaps we seek a secure physical container instead. One thing I have noticed  is that the deeper I have gone into psychoanalysis, the looser my clothes have become. Slim-fit rather than skinny. A little more space to breathe...

(Moya Sarner, The Guardian, 2024)

And there I was just thinking that a jumper was just a jumper and skinny jeans were just skinny jeans. Oh Hallelujah, enlightenment has come! 

"Well, sometimes a coloured sock is not just a coloured sock."