To be "trapped" in my own clothes?

[Gillz9874]

I occasionally ask DH to "zip me up" or help with some item of clothing as I'm sure everyone does

Lately this has been a bit more regular as I have a dress in the rotation for work that I really can't do by myself. The sleeves are a bit tight and I just can't get my arms round to the top of the zip on the back at all.

It's never a problem for me - he zips up in the morning and unzips when I get home.

BUT the girls at work are shocked I'm willing to "be trapped in your own clothes" and agreed they wouldn't wear it!

Am I the strange one? Anybody else wear something they get a hand with?

You need to do some yoga OP - when you can do prayer hands behind your back no zip can best you.

I do have one dress - evening - that I once had to do a hand stand to get out of, but it was a weird strap arrangement and I was a bit pissed.

But a day dress that I couldn't get in and out of without help - no. Far too claustrophobic.

I'm more shocked that you discuss how you dress and undress with work colleagues. Why do they even know this?

I occasionally ask DH to "zip me up" or help with some item of clothing as I'm sure everyone does

Nope, I can honestly say I've never done that. I'm a big girl now and I can dress myself thank you.

FudgeBrownie2019 off-topic but that reminds me of getting a mooncup stuck inside (it had shimmied sideways), weird how much it affected me, I was half-crying and half-laughing out loud at the ridiculousness. I'm never touching one again!

Some dresses with back zips can be a fiddle to do/undo. Reaching around to get at parts of your back for the zip can be tricky. I can manage myself but when he's there no problem asking him to do/undo the zip if its easier.

Meh! I have similar dresses, I have actually knocked on my neighbours door to ask them to zip me up.
Don’t give it another thought op.

I’m starting to get like this with my Welles - I need dh or one of the ds’s handy to pull them off! I’m starting the diet tomorrow...

*wellies not Welles!

Hahaha SummerPavillion that is both hilarious yet soul destroying at the same time, and sounds exactly the same level of manic-laughter whilst also considering phoning the fire brigade I went through. Brilliance!

Asking the neighbours to zip you up is downright weird.

I once got stuck in a dress in a changing room. I started hyperventilating. It was years ago but I can still remember that feeling of panic. From them on, I have never bought anything that I cannot get on and off myself.

I think they probably want to understand why you are wearing a dress that doesn’t fit you. If the sleeves are too tight for you to reach the zip then you need a bigger size.

I got stuck in a dress in a charity shop changing room once. It still had its original shop tag attached and it got caught in the zip. I had to ask a random lady to get me out again!

It was funny but also slightly panic-inspiring. I did buy the dress because once the tag was removed I could easily zip it up and it was a fab bargain. But I wouldn’t like to feel like I couldn’t get a piece of clothing on and off myself, generally.

How strange. I think the last time I was asked to help someone with their clothing was when my DS was about 5. Since then none of us has needed to ask anyone for help to dress or undress.

Why don’t you just buy clothes you can put on/take off yourself?

Sleeves shouldn't be tight or uncomfortable but sometimes I think you need to be a contortionist to reach the zip properly.

I'm claustrophobic and I'd spend the entire day worrying about how I'd get the zip undone if I had to for some random reason. It's not logical.

I also panic if a ring feels too tight.

I’ve just been reminded of the scene in friends where phoebe runs into the coffee house and asks Ross to zip up her dress, complaining that no-one had offered to do it for her the whole way there!

I have actually knocked on my neighbours door to ask them to zip me up.*

WTF?! Are you always that helpless?

I don't think you remotely unreasonable. Owing to health problems I need help with some clothes, most of those with a back zip or button fastenings at the back.( no I can't do without it nor do at the front and pull round) .
But I remember both my parents helping each other with various clothes in their young day.
At times my dh needs the occasional help depending on what he wears. So helping each other with clothes is perfectly normal for me. Yes it does have it's downside but why stop wearing items because you need a little help.?

Isn't it that the dress doesn't actually fit though, Op?

I think an occasional wear dress might be different, but seems to me a little odd to regularly wear something that you need help with.

That said, the reaction of your work colleagues also seems rather ott!

OP you do you.

I have had to resort to asking OH or DS for help. I wear a lot of fitted dresses that have an invisible zip, so no way of fitting any of the devices to help

I would utterly hate to wear something I couldn't take off by myself if needed.

I would never do it - I'd sew a ribbon onto the zip or something.

Isn't it that the dress doesn't actually fit though, Op?

I suspect this is the reality. I wear fitted dresses with zips for work, and don't have this issue. But this is because they fit me.

I wouldn't choose a day dress I couldn't get into and out of by myself. But life has a habit of fucking you over. Sometimes I can't get out of a ruddy anorak without help, never mind something with a zip up the back. Possession of a working body that doesn't require assistance to perform basic tasks doesn't make anyone a superior type of person.