Anger Over Woman Wearing Shirt Belonging to Friend's Husband: 'So Weird'

A woman has drawn criticism online after she began wearing her friend's husband's shirt without first seeking permission.

It's not uncommon for women to wear a romantic partner's clothes around the home. Research even suggests there are notable psychological benefits to the practice, with a study from the University of British Columbia finding that women felt calmer when exposed to their male partner's scent.

Maybe that's why one woman has sparked so much scorn on social media after it emerged she had started wearing her friend's husband's shirt.

According to a Mumsnet post penned by a user writing under the handle hidadsoup, the woman is an old friend of her husband's who is currently staying with them.

It started innocently enough with the woman offering to do some washing for the couple while she stayed. However, the next thing her host knew, she was walking around in a shirt belonging to her husband because "she liked it."

"She didn't ask," the disgruntled wife wrote. "She just put it on and then said she really liked it when my husband noticed."

While her partner "doesn't think it's a big deal," his wife feels like "boundaries" have been crossed and she has been left feeling "uncomfortable" in her own home.

More specifically, she felt it "implied intimacy" between the two of them. "Surely there's some unwritten rule that you don't wear another woman's husband's clothes? Especially if you aren't really friends with the wife."

For Diane Gottsman, National Etiquette Expert at The Protocol School of Texas, the issue of wearing someone's clothing without asking was a breach of common courtesy.

Gottsman told Newsweek: "A house guest, who wears anyone's clothing without prior conversation and permission, is rather presumptuous."

"It's a boundary issue, not to mention impolite to take something or use something that is not hers," she added: "It might not have even been a problem if the friend would have asked to borrow a shirt and the wife offered. It would not have felt like an invasion of privacy."

Gottsman wasn't alone in criticizing this kind of behavior.

On Mumsnet, users were quick to condemn the woman's actions.

Sciurus83 thought it was "so weird," with River Lee agreeing that "wearing someone else's shirt... implies intimacy or ownership with that person." They said: "Not necessarily sexual, but more of an unwritten signal i.e. Girlfriend wears boyfriend sweater if cold."

KeepOutingMyselfAnotherNameChange was suspicious, commenting: "It screams affair and she's seeing how far she can push her luck," but Variationsonatheme was less concerned, writing: "It's weird but I'm not sure it's worth getting worked up about, unless you already have thoughts about their relationship and this is just one more thing."

"I'm assuming she fancies him," Custardbear replied, while HitTheRoadJill said: "Tell her to give it back."

Gottsman told Newsweek the wife would be best off addressing the situation, but doing so in a way that sounds "straightforward without being accusatory." She suggested responding with something like: "In the future if you would like to borrow an article of clothing, I would appreciate it if you would ask first."

Even so, Gottsman felt it was important to tread carefully if choosing to confront the issue. "Saying something to her about wearing her husband's shirt comes across as jealous and, depending on the circumstances, maybe even a bit petty," she said. "The bottom line is that any article of clothing is off-limits without prior approval."