What Your Stuff Says About You

In the library recently, I came across a book called Snoop. The author, Sam Gosling, is a psychologist who, for the past ten years, has been studying how people project (and protect) their inner selves though their homes, their work spaces and what they wear.

I am totally fascinated by this stuff - being one of those people who is always interested at what is in a stranger's shopping trolley or the glimpse into a lighted house from the train. While at the same time, somehow failing to control in any way the personal image I project. 

Once in a while, I am aware that perhaps the signals sent out by my grubby car, with it's back seat full of children's abandoned reading matter, the occasional stray sock and a torn road atlas, might not really be sending the message I might choose to the universe. But on the other hand, it does clearly telegraph 'don't bother breaking in, if you are looking to find an expensive executive laptop in the boot'. 

But as I was hanging out the laundry in the beautiful sunshine this week, I did take pride in my still-pristine kitchen linens, kindly sent to me by Al at All Tea Towels. Though I am not at all sure what my selections from his range say about me.

The red one is well within my comfort zone - cotton, bright, straightforward. The second, a nod to the acknowledgement of political trends (mixed with irony - surely one would knit one's own tea towel? Or boil the stains out of an old one and patch it). And the third? A very grown up linen choice (and yes, I do like oranges).

One day, I will grow up and develop a coherent personal style, where I know exactly what sort of tea towel expresses my personality best. But for now, it is enough to know that they are very very new, clean and unsplattered. What are yours saying about you?

Comments

[daisie]

Your car sounds just like mine and as for tea towels, I will have to invest in some new ones as I hide the ones I use when we have visitors! They are always clean but are old, faded and stained in a peculiar manner, maybe one should have 'guest tea towels'? x

[The List Writer]

Urgh - I burst into frustrated tears recently when I discovered that the only tea towel I owned, which was not faded, stained and from Ikea's 1999 collection, acquired a smear of bike grease from the boyf's bike.

It was a lovely Emma Bridgewater tea towel and I sobbed so much that it has now been replaced by culprit.

I'm still upset though!

[kirsten]

i love those towels!!!
and I think we're quite a bit alike. I love noticing details and what they say about a person, while not so much noticing my own.

[dottycookie]

I have seen your car. And I have seen my car. And yours is tidy, believe me.

My teatowels are in urgent need of replacement. They're a mixture of rather tattered cotton ones that don't dry anything up but are good for keeping the flies off anything that's come out of the oven onto the cooling rack; and horribly boring and traditional terry cloth checked ones. I suspect they say "Bit of a slovenly cheapskate, must try harder." Sigh.

[a-m]

I'm glad someone else has also perfected a fail safe car burglar deterrent. I'm a bit concerned about tomorrow though as my five year old was sick all over the back seat yesterday, so we had to clear all the mess out and shampoo the upholstery. The car now looks pristine - I'm hoping the lingering aroma may put thieves off when they open the door!

I love your tea towels. I love the colours of my Jamie Oliver ones, although the spelling of 'to-day' troubles me!

[Dragonfly]

I have bright stripes from Habitat but only because they actually do dry things. Plus they are more often than not smeared in cake mixture...

In the car you will find an assortment of dropped-while-driving crisps and a Foxes glacier mint that has melted down the side of the handbrake. Not nice.

[Amanda]

Unfortunately, my tea towels say 'boring'. My car says 'clean me', literally, thanks to Miss 7.

[blackbird]

My car is empty inside, save for the cloth grocery bags - and I love that feeling.
My tea towels? Well, now that you mention them, I need to move the fresher looking ones to the front of the drawer. I use the same ones over and over and they look a little grey.

[blackbird]

oh! and I love looking in windows or speculating on people's shopping trolleys!

[trash]

Pristine tea towels? In use? Surely this is a contradiction in terms? No? Oh now I am mortified!

[UK lass in US]

Oh dear. My tea towels say that I am boring AND haven't done the laundry yet. My car says nothing of value here (shame, as I wouldn't mind someone nicking the car and having the insurance money instead - it's being repaired again...). I certainly hope that no one is peeking through the windows, either - my furniture rearranging has resulted in one better looking dining room and two other rooms that look like an earthquake has just hit.

[Alice C]

I buy my tea towels from a hardware store because I am a professional washer-upper. And we call them glass cloths, darling.

[Monica]

oh dear.... I must read that book. I'm always curious about why I'm an outwardly messy person (you've seen my study) but my drawers and cupboards are tidy... whilst Mr M has the most disgusting wardrobe ever but has to have tidy around him...

Any clever ideas?

[Thimbleanna]

Oooh, yours are beautiful! I'm afraid mine are saying they need some relief -- getting a bit worn. And if you find the secret to finding a personal style, please do share. I love so many different things, I can't possibly pick just one.

[Lynn]

After you have developed a coherent personal style, please coach me so I can do the same.

I have two sets of tea towels: the grubby, awful ones that my brilliant but messy cook husband wipes his food-y hands on, and the charming vintage ones that wait in hiding until such time as I acquire my own lady cottage. A girl can dream, right?

[kristina]

Oooh that book sounds right up my street!

And I do need to do something about my tea towels. And developing a coherent personal style. I seem to waver between mid-century modern and Country Living, which really don't work together...

K x

[French Knots]

My favourite floral tea towel hangs on the side of the fridge and is NOT USED! The rest are a sad collection of clean but stained old friends collected over the years. Including a lovely blue on that says to my husband -do not use me to dry the half washed bbq grill, too late!

[PinkCat]

This sort of thing fascinates too. I long too look in people's handbags and be a fly on the wall in my colleague's homes to see if their style echos their work personalitys (and chaotic desks).

The teatowels I have that are in best condition are pink and from Primark and are about 3 years old but still look great. I have been buying teatowels recently and saving them for my lovely new kitchen. And of course, there's my favourite Emma Bridgewater Christmas ones that only come out for a few weeks each yer.

I wonder what this says about me? x

[meg]

I love every little bit of this post! the second paragraph especially!!

[frances]

I keep my towels until they have pretty much fallen apart. I don't know what that says about me--thrifty? Frugal? Lazy? I fear I know what my car says about me, but it's so unkind I won't repeat it here.

xofrances

[skirmishofwit]

I think those tea towels show you have exceptional taste - they're all lovely!

[The Coffee Lady]

That's so true about the Make Do and Mend teatowel - I've only just realised very recently the difference between the words 'thrifty' and 'frugal' - they are definitely not the same! Having said that, I do have a very nice 'Make Do and Mend' letterpress print....

[Annabel]

They're all lovely and eclectic which is more interesting than being a set. I've got that book Snoop somewhere, must read it one of these days.

[Sew Create It - Jane]

My DH just cleaned in the inside of my car...so it doesn't say much at the moment...though I do have a crumpled out-dated map poking out of one of the pockets! Somehow that just lives in the car..not that it will ever get used now that my phone does GPS etc. :o)
As for my house...well that might be more telling!

[Gina]

My tea towels would probably say I'm a little bit of everything..some are gently taken care of bright and happy. A few others have quite a bit of stains, lets that stands for hard working in the kitchen, sounds better than messy cook..hee..hee. Then other poor things are a bit raggedy, that would have to be impatient and probably overloading the washing machine.

[Jackie]

I'm always peeking in people's shopping carts at the store. Frankly I'm usually disturbed by the tacky, overly-plastic pile of junk in their carts. Which says that I'm a complete snob and I feel an undeserved sense of superiority. And if I were being judged by my stuff it would say shabby and neglected!

[Liane]

I love this post! So many times I feel like you say just what I was thinking (but am not able to express as well). I love your blog b/c it is inspiring and real at the same time.