Sometime
back when I was with my friends, my friend Sukumar looking at my t-shirt said, that he was unaware that t-shirts came so very personalized. I didn’t get it initially…
then I realized that the brand name ‘Buffalo’ was embroidered on my shirt. This incident and a couple of jokes which are going around on the net about ‘GUESS’ T-shirts, prompted
me to write this post. First the jokes…
I
saw a woman wearing a sweat shirt with "Guess" on it. So I said
"Implants?"
I
saw a fat woman wearing a sweatshirt with "Guess" on it. So I said,
"Thyroid problem?"
Years’
back sporting any symbol in your attire was considered an ignominy. It is cheap
and vulgar to display anything on the garment. But today it has become a
fashion. Brands add value to you instead of you adding value to a brand. A
‘crown’ on your cuff is a statement of you having arrived. A polo rider on your
chest signifies status. Now this has gone even further… you can get inspired or
informed or enjoy a chuckle, not through the billboards or blog posts, but through
messages on a t-shirt. A casual observer of your tee may not know who you are, but will know where you work or where you holidayed last summer. Nowadays T-shirt is never just a tee: it’s always a cultural
message board, a banner for self-expression. It's become the best way of
communicating your wisecracks and wisdom.
These
Bosom Billboards are used by some to convey what they have in mind. Britney
Spears made headlines after her very public break up with Justin Timberlake
when she was photographed wearing a shirt that read “Dump him”. But many, in my
belief, use them to display ‘Wannabe’ messages rather than ‘I am this’ message.
I call them "Bogan Slogan" t-shirts. What
else can you say when you see a 60 year old man wearing a tee with the message
‘SEX GOD… Ask for details’ or a girl sporting the message ‘HUG ME for luck’. I suppose these people think that they are trendy and
hip. I sometimes do wear t-shirts with funny messages. But I'm not desperately
clinging to my youth, or seeking attention. I just think they are humorous and
they are part of my laid back style. And I wear them at home.
A couple of
months ago, I was coming out of Spencer’s Plaza, and there was a young obese woman
who had a t-shirt with some writing on it, and all I could see were the words,
"This is....." and I couldn't see the rest of the message because the
shirt went into the layers of flab on her stomach… no big deal. Except when she
went on to adjust the shirt and I saw the shirt in its entirety. It read,
"This is what HOT looks like." LOL!
Why
is it that wearing our hearts on our sleeve (or should it be chest!) be considered
cool? What do you tell the world when
you wear shirts like that? How they read to me is – please accept me as cool
and invite me over… I kind of want to wear a tee with a reply ‘Act your age’ or ‘You’re retarded’ to be seen by these juveniles(!). Recently
a T-shirt in size-four for a toddler, bearing the words 'Barely Legal' in block
letters, had parents outraged in USA.
It’s
cooler to stand for something and portray messages that you believe in. Nothing is hotter than knowing what you’ll ethically
stand for. Why wear a shirt with the word "Gap" or "Nike"
on it when you can make a meaningful statement… as an alternative to the
repetitive tees with some sexual innuendos. When a woman wears NO FUR pin on her coat – it’s an
expression of what she stands for. When someone wears a tee that says “Not a meat eater” it almost
always creates a dialogue. People may not read a book on Vegan Diet. But if
your message arouses curiosity, they will get to know more about it by talking
to others. There are powerful social messages which make you think. The picture
of globe and ‘There is no Planet B’…
I
don’t mind clever and witty messages that lighten you and lifts your spirit. My
favourites with my retorts in brackets…
1. 4
out of 3 people struggle with math
(And I am a million in one to appreciate
this joke!)
2. I am not short. I am just fun size. (My
personal favourite)
3. My
wife’s husband is freaking awesome! (My wife’s counter to
this is ‘Any husband other than you is freaking awesome’)
4. No. Al-Gebra is not a terrorist
network! (You are right. It is just terror…)
5. The
world needs more humble geniuses. There are so few of us left! (See
No.10 below)
6. HERE
I AM! What are your other 2 wishes? (A hammer and a rope… to
hit you on the head and then strangle you!)
7. Everyone
is entitled to be stupid... But you are abusing the privilege! (You
can’t have monopoly over it. Let me have the privilege for some time)
8. I
Have Multiple Personalities and None of Them Like You. (My
dear, everybody who's anybody is nobody! So I am not bothered)
9. If
guns are outlawed... only outlaws will have guns. (Ha…ha…
replace ‘guns’ with ‘wives’ and read!)
10. There's
a Fine Line Between Genius and Insanity, I Have Erased this Line. (You
are insanely genius I say)
11. My
Mind Wanders, and Sometimes Leaves Completely. (Good
riddance for you! And I am sure you won’t miss much!)
12. When
I want pointless conversation I'll let you know. (So
that you can contribute well?)
13. I've
Stopped Listening... Why Haven't You Stopped Talking? (So
that you can stop listening again)
14. All
I ask is a Chance to prove money can't make me happy... (Someone
said ‘money is the root of all evil.’ Why give you that chance of turning evil)
While
I refuse to advertise the brands and services free (be it GUESS or GAP or NIKE),
I am willing to sport a pithy remark boldly from my frontage IF IT MAKES SENSE.
Tees should transform from a symbol of self-expression to that of activism.
While humour and shock value still rule the roost when it comes to flaunting
messages on tees, there should be a slow and steady shift towards meaningful
and socially relevant ideas.
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