Strict parents, gotta love 'em right?
So, before I moved out and made my life my own, I used to live with my very strict West-Asian parents. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate them, but they caused me so much stress. That is why I've decided to come here to share my experiences and give some tips and tricks to dealing with (and sneaking around) of your strict parents. Today's post is all about clothes. Fashion is a big hobby of mine, and I in particular am in love with mini skirts, but my parents just called me the s word. On top of that, their reason for forbidding me from wearing the clothes I want is, in my opinion, straight up sexist and unreasonable. So, if you're a girl (or guy!) who can relate to th
is problem, I'm here to help. I will be sharing tips and tricks on how to get away with secretly wearing whatever you want. I'll be
going into detail for each clothing piece and accessory separately.
Before we begin, I must say a few things:
- These tips are NOT foolproof. If you decide to follow them, there's no 100% guarantee you won't get caught. So follow them on your own risk. I am not responsible in case you get caught.
- Try to understand why your parents won't let you do a certain thing. This will save you some bitterness about the situation.
- Try to not be envious of those who have what you want, you'll only end up hurting yourself.
- If your strict parents are causing you a ton of pain, talk to a trusted adult, friend, or, if you can afford it, a therapist about it.
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Now that we got that out of the way, let's start with some tips that will help you with getting away with this stuff in general.
- When purchasing the clothes your parents can't see, use cash if they can see what you buy with card. If you don't have cash with you, buy a 'decoy item' in case your parents ask. Make sure your decoy item will be believable for the price you paid. For example, there was this one time I really wanted to buy this skirt, but I had no cash, so I bought a bag with it.
- If you go out in, for example a pair of shorts, your dear parent won't let you wear, always bring a pair of 'emergency cover-up pants' in case you'll need them.
- Smaller clothing items, such as a crop top, will be easier to get away with than let's say a dress.
- Hide your clothing items in a place your parents won't see easily, like the back of your closet. If they do check your closet, I found that a bag with zipper closing is a good hiding spot.
- 'Changing spots' like public bathrooms are your best friend.
Now, let's get on with each clothing piece.
Crop tops
Or any kind of top actually. These are in my opinion one of the easiest things to get away with. First, you don't even need to buy an actual crop top, you can always just tuck a regular shirt into your bra when your parents are not around. But if you do decide to buy an actual cropped shirt, wear it under a baggy T-shirt or sweater (can be any baggy top really) and take said T-shirt or sweater off when you're safely distanced from your parents. If it's summer and you tend to get hot, you can carry your crop top in your bag and change in for example the bathroom at your school, or if you're at the mall, in a McDonalds bathroom for instance. (Just be careful you don't touch to many dirty things because a McDonalds bathroom tends to be dirty). Just don't forget to change back into your 'good' shirt before you go back home.
Shorts
These are also easy. I recommend buying shorts your parents think are an appropriate length and just roll them up when they're not around. Be aware that this might get bulky at times, especially if you roll them a lot. If you do own a pair of shorts your parents can't see, wear them under a pair of long(er), preferably baggy, jeans. I said jeans because the fabric tends to be thicker, which will do you a great favor in concealing the 'outline' of the shorts in front of your parents.
Skirts
Your approach will have to depend on the kind of skirt you want to wear. If you want to wear a 'poofier' skirt, you might not be able to hide it under jeans or another long skirt. So you'll have to change in a bathroom. But, if you're wearing a skin tight skirt, you can just conceal them under jeans and long skirts. If your skirt is pleated, I don't recommend wearing jeans over them, as it might damage the pleats. Go for a midi or maxi skirt instead. Make sure whatever over layer you're wearing does a good job at hiding the skirt, even when you move.
Dresses
This one is a little harder in my opinion. You'll almost always have to change in a bathroom, since dresses are kind of hard to cover up with other clothes. Plus, they are large, so they'll take up a good chunk of space in your bag, which might be inconvenient. Not only that, hiding them will also be more difficult due to their size. If you can cover them up with other clothes, go for it.
Small accessories
Such as rings, chokers, etc. These are easy. They are small, so just cram 'em in your pocket or bag and put them on when your parents are out of sight. Just be sure to remember to take them off! These small things might have you forget them from time to time. What I would do is take a picture of the item and make it my lock screen for the time I'm out, so I would be reminded every time I check my phone. If you can't do this, draw a small symbol on your hand that will remind you of the item.
Socks
Yes, my parents would dictate my sock choices. Don't ask why. So, these can be easy or hard. It depends on your parents and the type of sock. I recommend changing into the socks in a bathroom, as covering up socks can be hard, unless you're willing to cram them into your shoe and pull them up later. For longer socks, such as thigh highs, you can do the same, but they might not fit into your shoe though. If your parents aren't very observant, take advantage of that! If they do allow 'lower' socks, scrunch you thigh highs up until they look like slouch socks or legwarmers, and pull them up later.
Shoes
In my opinion, the hardest thing. Due to the size they tend to be, hiding and transporting will be an issue. But really, your biggest issue will be hiding. If you own a nice big bag that holds its shape or a shoebox of a shoe your parents know about, you'll be good as long as they don't lift the hiding case. Just change into them when you're not around them. Take a plastic bag to put your shoes in though, so you don't get the inside of your bag dirty.
This was it. (For now at least, I might edit this). If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I hope this helped you!
What Girls & Guys Said
Opinion
2Opinion
Take your clothes with you and change later? Your over 18, why are you still living with such strict parents.
Rule 1: you’re 21 years old.