Confessions of a Pillow Addict: The Five Degrees of Chop-ology

By Mandi 08/16/2013

Have you guys enjoyed this weeks Pillow Confessions? I have had a BLAST sharing them with you!

You cant talk pillows without talking about the pillow chop.

A pillow chop (for those that are unaware) is when you fluff a pillow and then chop the top of it and put a large dent in it.

There are 5 different degrees of Chop-ology, or Hell, if you are not a chop fan, that I want to bring to light today.

If you are as much of a Bravo addict as I am, you will probably remember Chad from the first few seasons of Million Dollar Listing.

He is the quintessential Over Chopper,  also known as The Chuck Norris. There is major brute force involved in getting these pillows chopped…so much in fact, that you have either:

a) Hurt yourself…yes, on a pillow

b)  Severely damaged the unfortunate furniture that the pillow was resting on.

This is what The Chuck Norris does to a pillow. I mean, it is basically changing the pillows entire DNA structure. Doesn’t it look like it is in pain?!

071807poofyourself

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Level 2 is The Botox Chop (also known as a mid chop) is something that I do fairly often. It makes the pillow look younger,  fresher. Like it has someone to look fancy for. To achieve this look,  I lightly chop the top and then pat the pillow twice on the front. Like it has a big belly. This softens the top chop a little. And always makes me think of a fat man. So there is that fun visual for you.

Neon Skull Pillow From Target Scarf

 

The third level of Chopology is the  Gigli Chop aka the Barely There Chop. You are looking at it,  and cant actually tell if it has been chopped on purpose,  or if the pillow was just made with a dent in it. This look is easily achieved by lightly chopping an overstuffed pillow. Or by pulling the upper corners out after you chop.

Dylan's Dream Room Makeover-57

 

Fourth on our list is the Bimbo Chop aka the Fluff . This look is achieved by shaking the pillow so that it fills up with air. There isn’t a ton of dimension to this chop, and there is definitely no channeling your inner Mr. Miyagi. (I know in the picture below that the lack and white pillow is a little chopped, but for this example look at the other ones.)

Thrift store gallery wall Living Room Makeover @ Vintage Revivals

 

And last but not least, level 5 is the Ke$ha Chop. Which means, you guessed it, the pillow is what it is. There is no sprucing, no fluffing, no washing. Nothing. You sit on it and leave it exactly how you found it. Squished and not attractive.

Lumpy Flat Pillow

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I know people have strong feelings toward the chopping situation, and I am SUPER excited to follow along with the debate in the comments, so weigh in below my lovies! Are you pro or con on the chop?

Love Your Guts

32 thoughts on “Confessions of a Pillow Addict: The Five Degrees of Chop-ology”

  1. OK. So, I think chopping is scary sometimes. I just think it can look super staged. BUT- I have to say that your level 2 and 3 have changed my mind a bit. I thought the level 2 looked good in yesterday's post about the scarf-pillows. It also made making scarves into pillows make a lot more sense for me- so thanks. And also, the Gigli? BAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHA #1- I saw that movie in theaters. WHAT?! #2- I love how the kangaroo pillow looked with the slight chop.

    OK. That wasn't very controversial or debate-ish. But I'm starting to question my previous pillow techniques and wanting to make some- ASAP.

  2. I am personally a fluffer, aka a "bimbo chopper", my husband is a Ke$ha chopper…and it drives me CRAZY!

    I don't love the chopped look to be honest, maybe just because I cruise etsy too much and every pillow on there is chopped… it's just overdone.

  3. Botox and Gigli chop fo' sho'! Although if we're being honest, my pillows fall into the Ke$ha category the majority of the time. That is until about 3 minutes before anyone comes over. It's amazing how fluffy pillows can make your home look 45% tidier. (Notice I didn't use the term cleaner???)

  4. All right, I'll bite. I'm not a chopper. I've seen it so much in model homes that I've developed a bit of an aversion. I tend to turn the pillow on its corner. I don't really have a strategy for this other than I want something other than square.

    I wonder what kind of chopper that makes me? The Skewed Chop? The Anti-Chop? Strange?

  5. I have question, not chop related. (Although I am pro-chop!) Do your pillows stay there all nice and neat on the sofa? I love throw pillows, but have not accented with them because with three kids and a man in the house, they just get tossed on the floor or all over the couch, and just winds up being one more mess for me to clean up. In fact, they usually get tossed aside just as quickly as I place them. Tell me, almighty pillow guru, that there is a solution! Superglue maybe?

    Love you!
    Steph
    https://www.newlymynted.blogspot.com

  6. Oh my gosh. Chad and his stupid hair. I'm obsessed with MDL, but I'm so glad he's not on it anymore!! (I think I'm team Madison these days ;D) LOVE the chops! I think I'd have to go with the #2, though we're Ke$ha around my house most of the time 😀

  7. I'm a chopper and I relate with level 2, Botox….for the pillow and wish I had some for myself, just a smidge between my eyes and my laugh lines 😉
    Debbie

  8. Love MDL, Team Madison for sure, NO CHUCK NORRIS! Botox chop for me, if I have time, if not..toss and land where she may. I love PILLOWS!!! And your tips this week have been GREAT!!! I am going to shop for scarves this weekend!!!

  9. i had such a love/hate relationship with chad and those damn skinny jeans that looked like they were glued to his butt and of course the joint custody of the dog. lol. i am a definite #2 chopper botox. not too much but just enough to keep the pillow healthy looking although we sit on it and lay on them fiercely at night. this was a great post.

  10. I'm strictly a botox chopper, nothing more, nothing less. I have some pillows that I have to re-fluff and chop many times over, as the slightest over-chop can leave them looking like they'd been in a Chuck Norris movie,. (horror of horrors) If left in that "Chuck Norris" for even a few seconds, they simply fall forward; not a good look especially when used singularly on a chair. I'm quite proud; I have the art of the botox chop down to a science. My biggest problem, my husband is Chuck Norris and when I leave the room he goes to work on my pillows.

  11. Guess I'm by myself with the Barely There Chop. When the rest of the family is here they work the Ke$ha chop, for sure.

  12. I'm a fluffer. My youngest daughter is a fluffer. My hubby & step-daughter are Ke$ha 'choppers'. But, I've always thought of them more as steam rollers. So, I don't have removed all of the smashable pillows, and replaced them with firm foam cushions, like cubes, bolsters, & poufs. Et voila'! Peace reigns supreme!

  13. I'm really into the Botox chop. With my 3 kids, sometimes it looks a little Ke$ha up in here.

    PS. I love you for your tips on HomeGoods clearance (fugly!) pillows for cheap, amazing, down pillow forms. You're the bomb.

    Hugs, Mallory @ Classy Clutter

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  15. hahahaha The Ke$ha pillow. SO great. my favorite is botox pillow, but mine never look like that, they are always $12 clearance pillows and are filled to the max and don't have room to be chopped. Need to get some more high quality pillows I 'spose:)

  16. Anyone who references Chad Rogers in a post is instantly my new favourite bloggy person. (Sidenote: do you remember how he tried to organize that custody agreement for the dog!?!?)

    I much prefer very subtle "chops", though I have to admit – during the day, there are often 1 or 4 Ke$sha chopped pillows lying around the house. Hot Messes…. that's for sure.

  17. Not a chopper. I know Genevieve and other HGTV stars brought this to the mainstream but it's too staged and overdone for me.
    I always buy clearance pillows too or better yet $5.00 kmart pillows. As quickly as I recover them and as much use as they get, I need them as cheap as possible.

  18. Oh my gosh – my sentiments exactly. I think a row of karate-chopped pillows look ridiculous – I simply can not take the room seriously, no matter how lovely the rest is. All I see is that row of ears lol

  19. HATE the chop…. it just changes the pillow from, well, a pillow! I always picture horns on the pillow when it is chopped- haha! It just takes away the cutesness from the pillow itself!

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