Slimfast® Reveals 'Locked Closet Syndrome' And Other Wardrobe Hang-Ups; Invites Women To 'Unlock Your Closet' With 14-Day Slimdown

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., May 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey of women who want to lose weight finds that, on average, women have 14 items of clothing in their closets that don't fit. The reason? Sixty-eight percent of women said they keep ill-fitting clothes with the hope they will fit one day. The survey was conducted by Wakefield Research for Slimfast®,the weight-loss brand that has helped millions get what they really want for more than three decades.

"Many women can relate to the feeling of having a closet full of clothes, yet nothing to wear," said Jenn Falik, style expert. "The Slimfast survey shows it's in large part due to the prevalence of 'Locked Closet Syndrome,' the practice of 'locking away' clothes that once fit, are in 'goal sizes,' or you just don't feel confident wearing."

Confidence is the best fashion accessory, notes Falik. Sixty-three percent of women cited "reaching my goal weight" as the biggest boost of confidence. When asked which type of outfit gives them the greatest confidence surge, 29 percent of women cited jeans and a t-shirt, followed by the little black dress (24 percent) and a swimsuit (22 percent). 

Other highlights from the Slimfast "Unlock Your Closet" survey include the following:

• 93 percent of women have multiple sizes of clothing in their closet – 3 sizes, on average
• Women keep ill-fitting items for an average of 14 months; with 15 percent saying they have kept pieces that don't fit for more than two years
• 79 percent of women frequently dread getting dressed because of ill-fitting clothes in their closet
• 68 percent of women who want to lose weight characterized their wardrobe as "sensible" versus "sassy" (11 percent) or "smokin'" (5 percent)
• If it meant they were able to fit into everything in their closet, 57 percent said they'd be willing to wash all the dishes by hand for a month and more than 1 in 10 said they'd take a pay cut
• 83 percent of women admitted to lying about their pants size more often than their age

"There are millions of women who want to feel more confident in their little black dress, swimsuit or other item they covet in their closet, and their motivations to shed a few pounds are highly personal," said Naomi Cody, Senior Brand Manager for Slimfast. According to the survey, more than half of women (54 percent) have purchased clothing in a smaller size than they currently wear – 27 percent said they did so to motivate themselves to lose weight.

Take the Pledge to Unlock Your Closet with the Slimfast 14-Day Slimdown

With 14 days to go until Memorial Day weekend, it is time for women to take control of their closet and get their minds (and bodies) ready for summer fashion season.

Slimfast and Jenn Falik are setting out to help women unlock their closet's full potential. Women nationwide are invited to take the Pledge to Unlock Your Closet at Facebook.com/Slimfast and be entered for a chance to win $5,000 for a summer wardrobe. The sweepstakes is open now through May 27, 2014.

Women are invited to take on the Slimfast 14-Day Slimdown, a convenient and delicious way to lose up to lose 6 pounds in the first 2 weeks.

• Swap two meals daily with a Slimfast Protein shake or meal bar.
• Your third meal must be 500 calories.
• Enjoy three 100-calorie snacks or pieces of fruit per day.
• Don't exceed 1200 calories per day.
• Do 30 minutes of light to medium exercise daily and drink plenty of water.

The Slimfast 14-Day Slimdown is easy to do with Slimfast's newest product introductions, which include three new varieties:

• Slimfast® Have Your Cake…™ Meal Bars is made of delicious vanilla cake and frosting, flavors combined with fun sprinkles and consists of 180 calories per bar.
• Slimfast® Limited Edition Pina Colada Protein Meal Shake features delicious tropical flavors with 180 calories per shake.
• Slimfast^® gimme some GREEK YOGURT & HONEY, honey™ Snack Bars feature the goodness of Greek yogurt and delicious honey with 110 calories per bar.

About Slimfast
Slimfast, a business unit of Unilever, offers a complete line of delicious meal replacement shakes and bars and portion-controlled snack bars, along with meal planning and exercise advice for successful weight management. The Slimfast product line includes an affordable range of Shakes, Shake Mixes, Meal Bars and Snack Bars that are available in retail outlets nationwide. Visit Slimfast.com, facebook.com/slimfast or call 1-800-SLIMFAST for more information.

About the Survey
The Slimfast Unlock Your Closet Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among  1,000 U.S. women ages 18+ who want to lose weight, defined as one or more pounds, between April 24-29, 2014 using an invitation and an online survey.

About Unilever United States, Inc.
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in more than 190 countries. Working to create a better future every day, we help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. In the United States, the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy, Consort For Men, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Fruttare, Good Humor, Hellmann's, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, Just for Me!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Magnum, Motions, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond's, Popsicle, Promise, Q-tips, Ragu, Simple, Slim-Fast, St. Ives, Suave, TIGI, TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe, TRESemme and Vaseline.  All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies.

Our ambition is to double the size of our business, while reducing our overall environmental footprint (including sourcing, consumer use and disposal) and increasing our positive social impact. We are committed to helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being, sourcing all our agricultural raw materials sustainably by 2020, and decoupling our growth from our environmental impact. Supporting our three big goals, we have defined seven pillars, underpinned by targets encompassing social, environmental and economic areas. See more on the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan athttp://www.unileverusa.com/sustainable-living/.

Unilever employs approximately 10,000 people in the United States – generating nearly $9 billion in sales in 2013. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com.

SOURCE Unilever