Not sure about you, but I definitely went through a phase where all I wanted to do was shop at Hot Topic. I took middle school on in my Converse high-tops and skinny jeans, just radiating a skater glow. It was pretty standard stuff. Avril Lavigne was all the rage, pants were bought with holes and each t-shirt needed to have some sort of cheeky statement. Enter: the graphic tee.
I entered the graphic tee game at an innocent time. My collection ranged from my school band t-shirts to my favorite “Little Miss Sunshine” number. Attempting edginess came in later, and was, thankfully, short-lived. Nirvana shirts eventually shifted to the lovely graphic tees from one of the least socially aware companies on the block: Abercrombie & Fitch.
Everyone knows that Abercrombie is that kid at school who is especially rude to everyone because they just want to be cool. Because of the company’s past need to cater to the “cool kid,” they have made some seriously rude shirts. Personally, I never really ventured far from the ones that simply had the moose on them, simply because I am not actually interested in having shirts that have, “Who needs brains when you have these?” printed over the chest.
A great male equivalent that matches the attitude of that women’s tee is one that states, “I NEED a girl with a GOOD HEAD on her shoulders.” This one is particularly impressive with its level of douchiness. If you read a little too fast, you may think that shirt would be owned by a sensitive guy who wants a nice girl but, no. Don’t be fooled, ladies. And to the guys: wearing a shirt with a statement like that probably won’t make the best first impression. Just a thought.
Abercrombie isn’t the only company to produce some pretty shady graphic t-shirts. Urban Outfitters is infamous for having shirts that it may see as hipster but nearly everyone else finds offensive. One prime example was the time the company thought it would be a good idea to have a blue and white striped pullover with a six-pointed star in the top corner. To follow that trend, UO used another historical tragedy for fashion when it created a “vintage” Kent State University pullover with intentional blood stains on it. Update: those aren’t for sale anymore.
Sure, its products are wildly insensitive, but the really hard part to grasp is the fact that people are still buying things from these stores. It isn’t just a couple people, either. The companies are actually doing well. Ever since the new management (ta-ta, Mike Jeffries), ANF has been steadily increasing its revenue. It isn’t anything like its 2010 glory days, but it definitely isn’t hurting.
For the group of students that are in college now, Abercrombie is a thing of the past. However, 20-somethings are still purchasing from Urban Outfitters. Some hipsters probably even seek out malls that specifically have the store, otherwise it would be a trip wasted for them. It shows in its rising stock price, too. I guess people just can’t get enough of its hippie flares and worn-in tees, regardless of the fact that it is the same company that put a shirt stating “Eat Less” out there. Oh, how I would have loved to sit in on the design meeting for that tee.
So, here I am thinking, where do I turn to for a simple graphic tee? Abercrombie is way too cool for me and Urban Outfitters’ graphics are a little too loud for my taste. Next up would be Forever 21, another company that plenty of college kids like to shop at because of the cheap prices and mediocre quality. Forever 21’s graphic tee selection is wide and varied, but remember that whole “quality over quantity” thing? Yeah, Forever 21 doesn’t. The shirts aren’t horribly offensive like the previous two companies; I’ll give them that. They are just bad. Looking at one of its graphics is a confusing experience, prompting a whirlwind of questions. There was a time when they came out with two shirts, one stating, “Sorry mermaids only,” and the other saying, “Mermaid University 1972.” What does that even mean? What is with the designer’s infatuation with mermaids? I don’t share the designer’s same appreciation for mermaids, so I don’t know if I could do the shirt any justice.
The bottom line is that graphic t-shirts used to be my thing. They were cute and comfortable, not some bizarre way to make a statement about controversial topics. So, for the strange graphic designers who are making these shirts, here is some advice. Play the tape back. Making a shirt that says “Do I make you look fat” on it is probably not going to be a best-seller.