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| Sunday, 14 August 2005 |
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T-time
This did not go unnoticed by the American soldiers who instead wore uniforms made out of wool. The undershirts soon caught on with the American soldiers. Their simple design prompted the name "T"-Shirt, or as we know them now, "T-Shirt" in the U.S. by Rikaza Hassan As of the 1920s, with its inclusion in the Merriam-Websters Dictionary, the 'T-Shirt' had become an official word of the American English Language. By the World War II, the T-Shirt was included as standard issue underwear in both the Navy and the Army.
The T-Shirt came out of its shell, so to speak, in the movies. Initially accepted only as an undergarment, John Wayne, Marlon Brando and James Dean all shocked Americans by wearing their underwear on national TV. In 1951, Marlon Brando shocked Americans when his T-Shirt was ripped off of his body, revealing his naked chest, in the film, 'A Streetcar Named Desire.' Then James Dean made the T-Shirt a contemporary symbol of rebellious youth when he wore a white one under a leather jacket in 'Rebel Without a Cause.' By 1955, the T-Shirt was tolerated worn without another shirt covering it.
The T-Shirt was inexpensive, in style and by the late sixties and seventies could make any statement you cared to print. Rock and roll bands began to realise that they could make a huge profit by selling their T-Shirts. Professional Sports caught on and soon the officially licensed T-Shirt became hot merchandise. Today printed T-Shirts with witty slogans are very popular. They have
become a vehicle for advertising; the title of a well known book in
communication published in the nineties is called, 'Can you put it on a
T-Shirt?' T-Shirts have evolved from undergarment to cool outer wear,
increased in popularity especially due to celebrities wearing them on the
screen and transformed into a stand-alone industry.
It's cool, comfortable and always in style. It can be worn as inner or outer wear for the casual or formal occasion and of course anything in between. If you are too dumb to figure out what I'm going on about yet, 'it' is the T-Shirt. A t-shirt is not a piece of cloth meant to keep the breeze or the mosquitoes off your back. A t-shirt speaks volumes about who you are, even sans the slogans. The colours, red, green or blue; the type, tank-top, muscleshirt or scoop-neck; the fabric; cotton, polyester or wool; they are all subtle clues as to who you are. And if you want to proclaim to the world your feelings on anything political, social or cultural, just buy one right off the rack or get your own message printed on a plain one. You could make your boss foam at the mouth, make people to stare, eyes popping out, or even seriously educate the public of your personal truths. The t-shirt is an arrangement of thread that is a mode of free expression. Says Nadeesha, "I love tees. I wear them anywhere and everywhere. They are just so very easy and comfortable. I have a closet full of them, though I prefer tank-tops and boat-necks." Responds Anoma, her friend, "The t-shirt is the best garment invented ever. Life without them would be miserable. You can wear them to just about any occasion from parties to grocery shopping to something of class." "I buy plain white cotton t-shirts, a wise choice considering the weather, and get whatever I want printed on them. If it's for a party or something, I'll probably add a little background and more colour. I've got t-shirts saying stuff from George W. Bush : The American Idiot to AA : Atheists Anonymous. I've even got one that says For World Peace, Smoke Weed," claims Chinthaka. T-shirts have been popular ever since their introduction to the mass market. And they will continue to be worn for a long time to come, if they are replaced at all. They are very cool, lots of fun and a significant part of our daily lives. |
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The T-Shirt has its early origins in Europe, where during World War
II, European soldiers wore a comfortable and lightweight cotton undershirt
during the hot, humid days of summer. 
The war also brought the first printed T-Shirts; the Smithsonian
Institute displays the oldest printed shirt on record, emblazoned with the
phrase 'Dew-It with Dewey' from New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey's 1948
presidential campaign. 
T-Shirts were still meant for men until Walt Disney began to sell
souvenir T-Shirts with often peelable letters and designs on them. Then in
the sixties people began to tie dye and screen print the basic cotton
T-Shirt. Advances in printing and dying permitted more variety and many
other variations such as the tank-top, V-neck, scoop neck came into being.
