Yes – there comes a point with weight loss when the wardrobe starts to fail you. My trousers are definitely feeling a bit loose.
The good news is that I have no problem adjusting them by putting in a dart (or two). I could use my sewing machine to do it, but I always think hand stitching a dart makes a better finish – I never think the machine works well at the narrow end of the dart.
Yes, I know how to sew. Yes I have a sewing machine. I also prepare food from scratch. All of those “women’s” jobs I can do. I was encouraged to learn how to sew, knot and bake when I grew up.
I also know how good Swarfega is at getting oil out of your hands. I learned how to work on car engines, how to change bearings on wheels, how to paper and paint. All of those “men’s” jobs I can do.
I also learned the wrong way to work on electrics – there were scorch marks on the wall next to a socket that proved this.
This was nothing to do with gender neutral issues – it was simply learning how to live as a person. In fact the concept of gender neutrality was not acceptable. I was a boy, I was raised as a boy and I am happy to be a man.
Now in this era where people support the idea of gender neutrality I see so many families that agree with it where men do men things and women do women things. It sometimes seems to me that the more people try to adopt a gender neutral approach to life the more they fail.
But more than that, calling the approach gender neutral can sometimes actually re-enforce the concept that there are men jobs and women jobs in my mind. And I disagree – my sewing has nothing to do with my gender. It is about me being able to live life (and save money on clothes).