How to Ask Your Boyfriend for His Sweatshirt

Whether you’ve fallen in love with the sweatshirt your boyfriend wore on the day you first met or you’ve come to associate his lucky sweatshirt with a multitude of positive memories, talking to your boyfriend about handing over ownership to it doesn’t need to be a stressful task. Invest a little planning and forethought into your approach, and then be prepared to smile and accept a “no” graciously to avoid causing tension. Remember, there’s no need to fight over the sweatshirt when you have the wearer all the time.

Plan your approach. If you’re about to ask your boyfriend to part with his favorite, lucky sweatshirt that he feels has helped his favorite team make it to the finals every year, you might be met with some resistance. However, if it’s just one of his everyday sweatshirts that has sentimental value to you -- or happens to smell like his heavenly cologne -- you can likely expect your quest to go smoothly. Consider how important the sweatshirt is to your boyfriend and what reason you can offer him for wanting to part with it.

Get him alone. If you make your request in front of his group of macho sports pals, his answer might be influenced by peer pressure. If the group thinks it’s sweet, he might feel compelled to hand over the sweatshirt. If his friends think handing over his shirt is sappy, he might say no to avoid the embarrassment or ridicule.

Pose your question simply. For example, “Would it be OK with you if I held onto your sweatshirt for a while? The smell always reminds me of you.” Or, “I would love it if you’d let your sweatshirt move into my house for a while. It feels so cozy to be snuggled up in your scent.”

Accept your boyfriend’s decision without cajoling or pouting. It’s OK to ask about his reason if he doesn’t immediately provide one, but avoid nagging or making him feel bad about his decision. If you believe he cares about you, but declines your request regardless, remember the significance that the sweatshirt may hold for him. You can always move onto making a request for a different article of clothing later.