Talking Tees

Back in the early ’90s, t-shirts with slogans or phrases on them were starting to become really popular. When I was in the 6th grade I actually bought a shirt that said “Yeah! I throw like a girl. I kick like a girl. Cuz girls kick butt!” Exclamations and all. My best friend convinced me we should both buy them. I was too embarrassed to ever wear my shirt, but my family still teases me mercilessly about it.

That was just the beginning of slogan tees. The next iteration were the highly controversial Abercrombie shirts that had middle schoolers walking around with phrases like “Who needs brains when you have these” written across their chests. Sure there were other shirts with overt sexual innuendo, but they were largely relegated to spring break or St. Patrick’s Day apparel, with sayings like “Irish men love a little lass.” After that were the faux vintage sports tees with made-up team names on them. They were inauthentic, but so comfy — the retailers made them extra soft to give them the illusion of enduring years of wear.

Slogan tees have come full circle now, poking fun at the shirts of the ’90s. The other day my friend Abby wore one that I love:

The shirt is by Ju$t Another Rich Kid, who makes a whole range of ironic tees printed on old vintage and D.A.R.E shirts. I’ve been on the lookout for these types of tees in my Salemail. So who knows? I might just end up buying my “girls kick butt” shirt again, recycled with a facetious phrase on top.