Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Do you ever feel like you're wearing someone else's clothes in life? Like you’re trying to change yourself to fit a mould that wasn’t made with you in mind?
All of my life I have been wearing them,
the hand-me-downs, the pants too long,
arms of sweaters stretched longer than mine,
sleeves of shirts I rolled up like newspapers,
those shoulders that would never stay in place,
always remembering: we are here to fit in.
And the very shoes that narrowed on my feet,
I gave away or traded up for other people’s soles.
I have thought somewhere there must be men
whose socks don’t shrink, whose buttons stay put,
whose shirts never wear out at the elbows.
I paid for what other people gave away.
All of my life I wanted to stand tall,
but as I grew up my clothes kept wearing out, when
in my child’s heart, I only wanted the comfort of corduroy,
a face that didn’t need ironing, a crease that would stay put—
these labels I hoped wouldn’t rub off.
—Michael Magee (Other People's Clothes)
Does this feel familiar?
Links:
Other People's Clothes (Michael Magee) - realchangenews.org/news/2007/04/11/poem-other-people-s-clothes
The Well Worn Kota - the-haven.co/well-worn
Check out my threads! The local library where you can borrow a new outfit - https://www.positive.news/society/the-local-shropshire-library-where-you-can-borrow-secondhand-fashion/
Do you ever feel like you're wearing someone else's clothes in life? Like you’re trying to change yourself to fit a mould that wasn’t made with you in mind?
All of my life I have been wearing them,
the hand-me-downs, the pants too long,
arms of sweaters stretched longer than mine,
sleeves of shirts I rolled up like newspapers,
those shoulders that would never stay in place,
always remembering: we are here to fit in.
And the very shoes that narrowed on my feet,
I gave away or traded up for other people’s soles.
I have thought somewhere there must be men
whose socks don’t shrink, whose buttons stay put,
whose shirts never wear out at the elbows.
I paid for what other people gave away.
All of my life I wanted to stand tall,
but as I grew up my clothes kept wearing out, when
in my child’s heart, I only wanted the comfort of corduroy,
a face that didn’t need ironing, a crease that would stay put—
these labels I hoped wouldn’t rub off.
—Michael Magee (Other People's Clothes)
Does this feel familiar?
Links:
Other People's Clothes (Michael Magee) - realchangenews.org/news/2007/04/11/poem-other-people-s-clothes
The Well Worn Kota - the-haven.co/well-worn
Check out my threads! The local library where you can borrow a new outfit - https://www.positive.news/society/the-local-shropshire-library-where-you-can-borrow-secondhand-fashion/
