WALKING BILLBOARD: WHAT DOES YOUR T-SHIRT SAY ABOUT YOU?
By Eva Lawrence
What’s up with inane messages on t-shirts? This morning, as I walked along Cuba Street, in Wellington I saw one that said “Lets go for no writing on this one” Huh? That’s up there with the “Vote for Pedro” that I see plastered on guys’ chests. One of my bro’s favourites boldly states “I eat glue” – OK, so that one did make me laugh. And I’m not saying this is only a phenomenon for guy’s t-shirts. There is a veritable smorgasbord of t-shirts for gals as well with obnoxious, trivial or otherwise odd messages.
What is it that makes someone want to be a walking billboard for a pointless message? What inner message are they trying to convey? Is it “I’m being ironic and you don’t get it” or maybe it’s “I don’t give a sh*t”.
And then there are brands… don’t get me started… Nike, Dickies, Tommy Hilfiger, (add your cool brand here). What is the inner message here? Is it “I like Nike” or maybe, “I wish I was a pro sports player” or maybe, “I paid $50 for this t-shirt”. According to Naomi Klein, in her book No Logo, the branding of people (face it: a big brand on the front of your t-shirt is branding not just the t-shirt, but you) is a recent thing.
I’m not saying it’s wrong to have messages on your t-shirt… I just don’t really get it. Why not brand yourself with a message that means something: “I give a sh*t” or “Save Happy Valley”. Or if being ironic is up your alley, how bout commenting on origins of the t-shirt: “Quality: just because it’s made using child labour, doesn’t mean it won’t last”
TAKE ACTION!
- Make your own t-shirts – brand yourself and say what you wanna say
- Buy t-shirts with messages you believe in (and understand!)
- Go naked (or wear a top with no brand)
LEARN MORE:
Read:
No Logo, by Naomi Klein
Branded: The buying and selling of teenagers, by Alissa Qurat
Watch a DVD:
“The Merchants of Cool” by Barak Goodman - a report on the Creators and Marketers of Popular Culture for Teenagers
“The Persuaders” - An exploration of the multi-billion dollar industries of advertising and Public Relations and the culture of marketing.
(all available from the GEC library - email: info@justfocus.org.nz).
