Making the Internet My Accountability Partner

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I was in a seminar learning about how to support those with hoarding behaviors and a narrative appraisal was taught to us as a tool. I thought this was a brilliant way for us to assess and interact with our possessions. As I am always in the process of refining the amount of items I own to best fit my life I wanted to see how I would experience this assessment. My clothes, particularly, have been another sore point in my life.

In our new place, my partner and I decided I would hang all my clothes in the closet and he would fold all of his in the dresser. Thankfully, the closet is large so I have room to hang everything, even the out-of-season items. However, I did not initially have enough hangers, so I went and bought 50 more and now I’m at a place of potentially needing more hangers and I don’t want to own that many items of clothing. In this post, I’m going through just my white tops with a shortened version of the assessment.

Noah Kahan Shirt
How did you come to own it? I went to a Noah Kahan concert in the fall of 2023 I bought the shirt there.
How long have you owned it? almost 2 years
What gives it value? It’s comfortable and it speaks to my personality
How does it make you feel to have it? I’m happy to have it
How important is this compared to others in the same category? I’d say this is pretty important to me
Would the collection/category still be valuable to you without this item? It’d certainly be less valuable
If you let this go, how do you think you’d feel? I’d be sad and I’d miss it
What does this item say about you? It speaks to my taste in music
Does this item represent the person you want to be? One side of me yes, the side that wants more down-to-earth and soft vibes.

Equal Rights
How did you come to own it? It was a Christmas present from a friend last year.
How long have you owned it? 7 months
What gives it value? the fact that it was a gift from a friend
How does it make you feel to have it? it does make me think of her but I have worn it once so I also feel some guilt about not appreciating it
How important is this compared to others in the same category my friendship is important to me but this shirt isn’t and those two facts are getting entangled
Would the collection/category still be valuable to you without this item? yes
If you let this go, how do you think you’d feel? Initially, I’d feel bad for letting go of a present but I’d eventually move on
What does this item say about you? it does speak to my values, but in a casual meme-y way
Does this item represent the person you want to be? It speaks to my values but not the way I want to dress myself.

Bans Off
How did you come to own it? I went to a protest in 2022 and bought this to support Planned Parenthood.
How long have you owned it? 3 years
What gives it value? I like the design
How does it make you feel to have it? I’m happy about how I acquired it
How important is this compared to others in the same category? I’d say it’s one of the less important ones because I no longer wear it that often.
Would the collection/category still be valuable to you without this item? Mostly
If you let this go, how do you think you’d feel? There would definitely be days when I missed it.
What does this item say about you? This shirt speaks to my values in a way that I am happy to wear.
Does this item represent the person you want to be? Yes, it speaks to my values and I can see myself continuing to wear it.

The Deck Investigates
How did you come to own it? I saw the tour when it came to Boston in 2023.
How long have you owned it? 2 years
What gives it value? I like the podcast
How does it make you feel to have it? I’m really neutral about it
How important is this compared to others in the same category? It’s less important because I’m not a fan of red and I’m not a fan of the design on the back.
Would the collection/category still be valuable to you without this item? Yes
If you let this go, how do you think you’d feel? I’d feel bad because I feel like I’m supposed to treat event tees as memories and getting rid of it acknowledges that I don’t.
What does this item say about you? It says I’m a fan of true crime podcasts.
Does this item represent the person you want to be? I like wearing my hobbies to an extent but because of the design it feels forced rather than something I enjoy.

Sports Bra
How did you come to own it? I randomly bought it at Target.
How long have you owned it? 2 years
What gives it value? I don’t have to wear an actual bra with it
How does it make you feel to have it? Good, I like having this as an option
How important is this compared to others in the same category? Very, it’s the only one that is a bra and doesn’t require me to wear a wired bra.
Would the collection/category still be valuable to you without this item? No
If you let this go, how do you think you’d feel? I’d miss it immediately
What does this item say about you? It speaks to my desire for comfort and casualness
Does this item represent the person you want to be? Yes the part of me that wants to be effortless and casual.

Crop Top
How did you come to own it? I honestly don’t remember
How long have you owned it? Probably 4 years or more.
What gives it value? It fills a hole in my closet for a more polished white top, that’s short-sleeved.
How does it make you feel to have it? Fine.
How important is this compared to others in the same category? Not very.
Would the collection/category still be valuable to you without this item? Yeah, honestly I have one skirt I regularly wear this with so I’d overall be ok without the shirt, but I don’t have anything else yet that I’m comfortable styling the skirt with.
If you let this go, how do you think you’d feel? I’d be ok especially once I accept alternate styling options for the skirt.
What does this item say about you? I think it speaks to a preference for more feminine details.
Does this item represent the person you want to be? Kinda.

Bodysuit
How did you come to own it? I bought it online from Aerie.
How long have you owned it? A little over a year.
What gives it value? I love the way I feel in this and I love the way it looks dressed up or dressed down.
How does it make you feel to have it? Super happy.
How important is this compared to others in the same category? The most important.
What is your favorite item of this category? This is.
Would the collection/category still be valuable to you without this item? Not at all.
If you let this go, how do you think you’d feel? Sad, I’d pretty immediately want to replace it.
What does this item say about you? Nothing, but the way I carry myself when I wear it says everything.
Does this item represent the person you want to be? Yes.

Linen Shirt
How did you come to own it? I found it at Savers (a thrift store).
How long have you owned it? 2 years
What gives it value? I like the type of person I envision wearing it
How does it make you feel to have it? Good, like I could become the above-mentioned person.
How important is this compared to others in the same category? Decently, I like that this piece elevates an otherwise boring, dressed-down outfit.
Would the collection/category still be valuable to you without this item? Less so.
If you let this go, how do you think you’d feel? With my closet as-is I’d have a few days where I’d miss it but overall I might be ok. But I have had instances of wishing I had other clothes to pair this with to get more use out of it and I might be making an acquisition.
What does this item say about you? Nothing and yet when I wear it I feel like a new person.
Does this item represent the person you want to be? It again speaks to the effortlessly polished, casual yet refined vibe that I want to be.

Long Sleeve
How did you come to own it? I thrifted it, probably from Savers.
How long have you owned it? Maybe a month
What gives it value? It fills a gaping hole for a plain long-sleeved white shirt.
How does it make you feel to have it? Good, I like that I have so many ways to style it.
How important is this compared to others in the same category? Pretty important.
Would the collection/category still be valuable to you without this item? No, I tried to go a year without a long-sleeved white T-shirt and I missed it so much I bought one.
If you let this go, how do you think you’d feel? I’d miss it and probably buy another one pretty soon.
What does this item say about you? It says I have my basics covered and I’m happy with the way I put my own spin on them.
Does this item represent the person you want to be? Yes because it allows me to be versatile and say so much more with my other clothes.

This exercise was enlightening in exactly the way I had hoped. I do think it’s helped me come to terms with parting with some items and given me permission to look to fill a gap I’ve been thinking about for a while. I think I’m definitely parting with the Deck shirt and the crop top. I’ve decided I’m going to wait on the Equal Rights shirt. I haven’t even owned it a year and I might get more use out of it in the warmer months. I will likely revisit this exercise in about 6 months, hopefully I remember to update this post with a comment on the final verdict.