Plasticwear

I bought a T-shirt the other day that I found in the sports section of the store. It was advertised as a wicking material that would keep me dry and cool when I'm being active.

So I wore it tonight when I took a walk. I only walked about two miles around town, and I left at 8pm when the temperature had dropped under 90 F*. I also wore my sports bra to give the shirt an extra chance, since the sports bra, while uncomfortable, at least doesn't get drenched with sweat the way my regular bras do.

Right away I found the shirt uncomfortable. I felt like I was wearing plastic wrap instead of a shirt. It clung to my body even though it's not too small--in fact, it's slightly big on me. After just a short distance my skin felt not just sweaty, but stewed in sweat. Ick.

So I thought maybe the material would at least not show great big sweat stains like a cotton shirt. But when I got home and stripped it off, there were sweat stains everywhere the shirt had touched my skin. I checked the tag to see what this miracle material was, so I can avoid it in the future.

100% polyester. No wonder it's so damn uncomfortable and doesn't let my skin breathe. (My sports bra, on the other hand, is a blend of cotton, spandex, and polyester with mesh panels in the back.) So I'll continue to wear cotton shirts, and I'll never again buy sportswear from JCPenney's.

*Actually, I'm writing this after returning at 9pm, and according to the Weather Channel it's 94 out.