Abstract
This article discusses what kind of strategies people with a stoma or various chronic skin conditions, such as psoriasis or atopic dermatitis, use to find clothes that fit and enable them to fit in. Based on qualitative interviews in Norway, we study how they manage to dress with a demanding body, a poor market and limited economic resources. This includes describing how purchases take place, which clothes fit, how much clothing is needed, and which laundry practices are used. Their main strategy was to reduce the requirements for their own appearance rather than to cleanliness and body odours. If they were unable to appear appropriately dressed, as a minimum odourless and stain free, they reduced their participation in social life.
Highlights
We all have to be dressed; some bodies are more difficult to dress than others
Mass produced apparel available in clothing stores is designed for the non-disabled user and is difficult to adjust to special needs; it seldom satisfies the technical and social needs of many disabled users (Kabel, Dimka, & McBee-Black, 2017; Kratz et al, 1997)
We focus on two conditions that are among those that cause the most extra clothing costs in Norway: psoriasis and other chronic skin conditions, and people with ostomy
Summary
We all have to be dressed; some bodies are more difficult to dress than others. For many individuals with various medical diagnoses, it is difficult to collect receipts and to systematically document the extra costs over such a long period of time It creates the potential for inequality based on income, since those with low income cannot necessarily afford the clothing they would need to buy to qualify for the support, while those with a higher income can buy all the necessary products and document the extra costs (Proba, 2017). This system is under evaluation to see if the application and qualification process can be simplified. The groups were chosen based on statistics on diagnosis codes that commonly receive support for extra clothing costs
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