What Does Your T-Shirt "Say" About You?
In my last posting, I spoke of the way that writing in our environment plays a role in our lives as students, as well as the way in which it serves as an outlet for expression. Now, I turn my focus to an even more personal form of writing − the writing that we display on ourselves through our clothing. Looking around the university, one can view an assortment of phrases prominently displayed on students’ t-shirts, sweatshirts, and in some cases, sweatpants. But why do people wear choose to wear these sayings on themselves? And to what extent are these messages noticed by others? These are questions which I sought to answer through a series of short interviews with twenty freshmen at the university. In selecting participants, I interviewed ten males and ten females, making an effort to choose a random, representative sample from each group so that generalizations might be applied to the student population as a whole. While some variety existed, their answers were strikingly similar in certain crucial areas. The students’ answers point to the fact that not only can the message one conveys through their clothing make a statement about the individual, but it can also influence the way in which one is judged by his or her peers.
The first question which interviewees were asked to respond to was whether they wore clothing that displayed some form of writing. An overwhelming majority or 95% answered affirmatively. The nature of the writing fell into common categories such as name brands and logos, sports teams, school and club-themed writings, personal interests, and humorous sayings. When asked why they chose to display these messages, the responses began to differ. Some students stated an interest in personal expression, through shirts which advertised their favorite products, commemorated favorite vacations, or made quirky statements (such as “I Love Carbs” and “Pale is the New Tan.”) Others said that they wore messages in support of a group which they were affiliated with, or a team which they supported. (Swim team t-shirts and football jerseys both fell into this category.) Yet a third category of students either failed to cite a particular reason for displaying messages, or cited reasons of convenience in choosing the clothing, such as “because the university gave me a free t-shirt.” The majority of students, however, stated that they felt the message on their clothing represented them in some way (75%), with 70% of males and 80% of females agreeing. But does an active audience exist for these representative writings?
The second half of the interviews sought to explore the effect which these clothing messages have on the viewer. The results were astonishing. Of the twenty students interviewed, all twenty responded that they did indeed read the writing on others’ clothing, regardless of whether they themselves thought their own clothing was representative. Furthermore, 75% felt that the writing on others’ clothing revealed something about that person, while 80% stated that there were circumstances in which they would judge others based on that writing. While women were twenty percent more likely to pass such judgment, the majority of men agreed that the message one displays could lead them to stereotype or make negative assumptions about the individual’s personality. Women highlighted sexually suggestive text as being especially unattractive, and also mentioned the use of brand names (such as “Abercrombie and Fitch”) as factors by which they might categorize an individual, labeling them as “preppy” or even “fake.”
If these interviews are indeed reflective of the student population, then it is evident that the messages that we display on our bodies become extremely personal. Not only is clothing a medium in which we display our affiliation a group or idea, but it becomes one through which we consciously or unconsciously portray part of ourselves to the world. Other individuals in the world do pick up on these cues. It is essential, then, that we stop and consider whether we are sending a message which represents us in a way we would authentically desire to be perceived. For as one interviewee put it, the message on your shirt must represent you “if you care enough to wear it around all day.” Right?
Data Gathered from the Interviews:
Female Responses: Download file
Male Responses: Download file
*Video Clip from "Office Space" which further illustrates the way in which what we wear sends a message to others around us:
**Video clip courtesy of YouTube.com
**Calvin and Hobbes comic by Bill Watterson, courtesy of Jyte.com
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