The Husband Project Day 5: What Not to Wear

Project #5
What Not to Wear
Pitching the Pajama Pants

Your Project:
Get rid of one item of clothing you know your husband is not in love with. If it’s a favorite that you’ll have a hard time parting with, go ahead and purchase a replacement you know your guy will like.

Get rid of one piece of “comfortable” clothing. You know the one - it could be the pair of sweats, some comfy slippers, or a college sweatshirt. Your husband may not even notice that you’ve done away with it. The point is you’re taking another step towards thinking about him when getting dressed, instead of going to those sad, sad, jammie bottoms once again.
 
Just get rid of it. That’s all. You know what “it” is. For me, it was my pair of brown, cropped sweatpants that I thought were perfectly acceptable — but I knew that Roger secretly hated. I replaced them with a pair of cute brown sweatpants with a matching hoodie sweat shirt for when I am working from home or running the kids to all their activities. This outfit is cute and comfortable.

A List of Ten Clothing Items that Should Never be Worn Around Your Husband
Unless your husband has specifically said, “You look so adorable,” while wearing this particular item, it needs to go. Don’t make me come over and “What Not to Wear” you.

1. Team Jerseys (Unless they‘re your husband’s team and you are wearing the jersey as a sexy night shirt)
2. Overalls (unless you both work on a farm)
3. Running shoes for anything other than running
4. Mom jeans (super high wasted, tapered and pleated, oh my...)
5. Any sweater with a Christmas tree or a pumpkin on it (unless you’re a kindergarten teacher. Even then, change into something flattering right after work. There is nothing sexy about wearing ornaments.)
6. Long floral dresses that tie in the back. They make your figure look dumpy and make you look like you’re wearing a table cloth.
7. Acid-washed anything. Enough said.
8. Underwear that has any form of safety pin attached to it.
9. Nursing bras. Especially if your child is now six.
10. Anything that an ex-boyfriend has ever given you.

Getting Creative

• What do your slippers look like? If they’re the pair you had in college, time to walk them out the door.
• For one of my friends, it was a hair scrunchie that was seeing a little too much time outside of the house. (There was a bonus here because a number of her friends were about to have a scrunchie intervention. This project kept her out of a scrunchie 12-Step Program.)
• That sumptuous terrycloth bathrobe you got at the spa several years back by now has lost its “wrap me in luxury” feel and probably qualifies for pet bedding material. Time to find another robe; and the only strings hanging off will be the belt ties.

Project Reports – What Other Wives Have Done

“I threw out an old t-shirt I loved to wear to bed - an old favorite with Troy Aikman on it. Aaahh. Anyhow, I took some comments my husband had said to me to heart and now go to bed with (gasp!) nothing on! I thought it would be an open invitation for sex all the time, but it hasn’t been. But, boy, is he a happy man! He gets to look all he wants and men are really visual beings. For his part, he got me an electric blanket which he turns on before I get into bed, which is so cozy. And, hey, I get to wear that beautiful robe I have. Everybody wins.” - Annie

“Great idea I’ve come across as I’ve gotten rid of all the comfy sweats…I now have nothing cute to wear, so I dropped a little note for my husband about this great Web site he should check out for Valentine's Day. It’s Pajamagram.com. It’s a win-win situation. He gets to pick out something that he would love to see me in and I get a gift! I think he loved the idea!” - MV

OK – let us know what your got rid of today – inspire the rest of us to get rid of some of those “comfy” clothes that should never see the light of day.

 As the author of 'The Husband Project' Kathi Lipp speaks to groups across the country on how to put your marriage on Project Status.

Find out more about Kathi and the Husband Project Seminar at www.the husbandproject.org.