Man left speechless by his girlfriend's obsession with buying the same clothes, asks Reddit for advice

If you are wondering why women may buy the same clothes, read on now on how you can avoid making mistakes.

Everyone has their own eccentric quirks that make them who they are, and in a relationship, it is usually about accepting these odd, harmless ones, as sometimes they are even a little endearing. But some peculiar habits are too hard to ignore, coming off as irritating and inane rather than idiosyncratic.

Girlfriend's habit of buying the same 3-4 clothes leaves boyfriend disconcerted. (Picture credit: Freepik)

One such case surfaced on Reddit on the subreddit Relationship Advice. A 29-year-old man shared his concern over his 27-year-old girlfriend's bizarre shopping habits, in which she repeatedly buys the same set of clothes. He sought advice on how to bring up the subject without seeming controlling, as he considered the practice to be very ‘wasteful.’

Wasteful shopping

The woman regularly buys tank top and jeans. (Freepik)

Shopping often emerges as a point of contention in relationships, but this case takes it to a whole other level. The Redditor explained that after moving in together after two years of dating, he started to notice his girlfriend's unusual habit of buying the same set of clothes obsessively. “She has a whole closet full of clothes but only rotates through like the same 10 pieces,” he voiced his concerns.

Describing what her wardrobe looks like, “She keeps buying the exact same items of clothing over and over again. Like I'm talking she has 6 pairs of the same black jeans from Zara, probably 8 of these white ribbed tank tops from H&M, and at least 5 identical grey hoodies.” His girlfriend buys multiple copies of the same clothing pieces.

Further, the reason this shopping habit raises his eyebrows is that it has become a repetitive pattern. Initially, the Redditor assumed that she liked certain types of jeans or tank tops, but she explained it's actually about having backups for practical reasons. Still, he didn't buy it because her closet is overflowing with clothes, yet she wears the same ten pieces only regularly.
“All the other stuff just sits there with tags still on some of it. I peeked at her credit card statement once when we were working on budgeting our shared expenses, and she's dropping like $300-400 a month at Zara alone, ” he wrote, expressing concern over what he regarded as wasteful.

Money is not the issue, as both earn and save well. However, the man's concern lies in the principle of repeatedly buying the same clothes. He fails to understand the logic of spending so much to buy similar pieces and, on top of that, rotates only ten pieces, leaving the rest of the wardrobe untouched.

What does Reddit think?

The other Redditors shared their views in the comments, and most were as flabbergasted as he was, while a few veered from the majority to share a different interpretation of the situation.

One underlined the problematic overconsumption. She remarked, “It’s buying stuff so frequently that I find it more concerning. I know you said money isn’t an issue, but that’s still a lot of consumption. My clothes don’t wear out at rate where I need to replace them monthly. Not to mention, her closet will be stuffed unless she regularly clears out the older.”

Another user shared their own experience with such a partner, obsessed with the same clothing pieces. They added, “My bf was like this when I first met him- He had 75 plain white shirts. It was so bizarre and they took up half the closet. Now he wears mostly black shirts but at least half of them have some sort of logo or graphic so they aren’t exactly the same.”

One user suggested some deeper psychological factors, from a scarcity mindset to possible hoarding tendencies.

They added, "It almost seems like a mental health thing, maybe? Or at least hoarding? I didn't think this was at all unusual until I got to the part where she spends $400 a month on identical clothes. Did she grow up very poor and have a scarcity mindset, maybe?” Perhaps this mindset emerged from a childhood which saw financial insecurity paving the way to overpreparation.

But several Redditors also supported the girlfriend's shopping habit, validating with personal anecdotes. One user wrote that some people buy their favourites' duplicates as a way to keep them timeless.

They explained, “I shop exactly like your gf does. I tend to buy duplicates of my daily casual wear favorites so I do not have to spend much time thinking about what I will wear. I also have half a closet full of things that I rarely wear that I like to have the option to wear when I go out or travel. Some still have tags on them, like dresses I find on sale or I really think are flattering and have a timeless style (meaning, they won't easily fall out of fashion) or funky pieces that I really like at the moment but haven't found a reason to wear or maybe haven't found the right shoes or pants etc.”

Another user pinpointed the difference between men's and women's clothing, explaining why repetitive shopping habits may be more common among women.

They elaborated, “I feel like this is an inherent function of women’s wear because so many occasions call for highly specific types of clothes that you can’t wear under other circumstances. It doesn’t affect men as much because they’re expected to wear the same types of clothing over and over again- tuxes for so many formal events, suits for many formal-ish and professional events, and then shirt or polo and slacks for casual and business casual.”

Note to readers: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them. This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice.