Monday, May 19, 2014

Why Do Women Put on Guys' Shirts?

In a conversation that several of us ladies had, after a few fun drinks, the talk (naturally enough) went around to sex.  Now after the usual matters were disposed of, one of the group broached a question, "After you spent the night with a guy, did you put on one of his dress shirts the next morning?"  Interestingly, several admitted that they did.

So reflexively, I went into my behavioral science mode and begin to wonder why.

As a matter of fact, this seems to be a common post-coital motif if the couple spends the night at his place.

One possibility is that the woman, after having mated, does this to mark the guy's clothes subtly with her lingering scent.

Here's another view:  When a girl has finally sex with a guy, having done so generates a little conflict.   So after she had engaged in sex, she unconsciously wants to tell herself that he is a good guy who can take care of her and has the potential of loving her.  By putting his shirt on, she is in a way affirming to herself that she is comfortable with him. She reassures herself that he has the necessary qualities, habits and personality which will allow her to feel at ease with him and somehow justifies having sex with him.

Still a third possibility is that she thinks she will look cute and sexy; and possibly inspire an encore.  




Finally, she dons her lover's dress shirt as a type of victory trophy.  Have you any opinions on this?



Anyway, I have not found any research that specifically addressed this topic.  I wonder how the NSF would react to a grant application?



26 comments:

Insane Penguin said...

They put guys' shirts on because he doesn't have pajamas in their size.

Kristen Drittsekkdatter said...

In Minnesota she would also put on his socks and hat with the fur flaps to let down.

Bilbo said...

I see nothing wrong with this. It beats the thought of a man waking up at the lady's place the morning after and donning one of her teddies.

Elvis Wearing a Bra on His Head said...

It may be to leave her scent, or it may simply be due to convenience. And to avoid the wet spot.

Hell Hound said...

To look sexy, paradoxically.

TexWisGirl said...

can't say i've ever done it. :)

Mike said...

I vote for the trophy concept.

Cloudia said...

Well realized gambit here. You even found relevant visual data. This IS where research and hypothesis do come from, a lingering, teasing interest in something. My BA and some post grad work is in Psych with a slant to community based research. Anything can be operationalized by a clever researcher..... Or, just another well done post! Love visiting your lab:-)

Banana Oil said...

I don't know why in the hell I did it!

Meredith said...

Possibly more than one of those reasons are operative.

Meredith said...

Possibly more than one of those reasons are operative.

Anemone said...

Does a guy's t-shirt count?

Big Sky Heidi said...

I think that Occam's Razor comes into the picture: women don men's shirts because there are no comfy robes to put on afterwards and it suddenly feels a little chilly.

John A Hill said...

Maybe it's just an excuse to scout his closet. Does he have nice shirts? Is his closet neat and orderly?
I'm just a guy. What do I know about why women do the things they do? I don't think they know most of the time.

Duckbutt said...

Definitely worth a research grant!

Anonymous said...

John Hill has a point. It's an excuse to scout him out.

Atomic Dog said...

I would hope it is for an encore screw.

Anonymous said...

I think she does it to convince herself that getting laid was a good thing. It is a cognitive dissonance reducer.

Grand Crapaud said...

You come up with some of the most interesting topics!

Anonymous said...

fascinating topic - do you think that a fellow's chances of 'securing' a partner may be improved if, as part of his repertoire, he were to discreetly 'advertise' that he has a vast array of shirts???

eViL pOp TaRt said...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, everyone. I suspect that a lot of different reasons could apply.

Clarissa said...

But mainly because we want to look sexy after the deed.

Chuck the Grumpy Cat said...

A woman wearing nothing but a man's shirt looks damned fine, in my opinion.

Hell Hound said...

So if a woman puts on your shirt after sex, is this sort of a compliment? Is she saying that she was nicely laid?

The Bastard King of England said...

A woman wearing a man's shirt and nothing else is damned sexy,

Anonymous said...

Intriguing speculation. Maybe she simply is cooler after having been warmed up.