Kids and Their Wacky T-Shirts

The eternal battle between teenagers and high school principals is raging again, and this time the front is the message t-shirt:

They're blatantly sexual, occasionally clever and often loaded with double meanings, forcing school administrators and other students to read provocations stripped across the chest, such as "yes, but not with u!," "Your Boyfriend Is a Good Kisser" and "two boys for every girl." Such T-shirts also are emblematic of the kind of sleazy-chic culture some teenagers now inhabit, in which status can be defined by images of sexual promiscuity that previous generations might have considered unhip.

Yeah, no teenagers ever glorified sleaze before 2006.

20 years ago (i.e., back when I was an idiot teen), it was the heavy metal t-shirts that would get you in trouble. Wear your Iron Maiden "Killers" or "Number of the Beast" t-shirt to school and you'd have a 50/50 chance of having to wear it inside out all day long. I'm not a huge fan of today's skanklicious trend -- I blame Paris Hilton, personally, because she's a convenient target and I can't be bothered to think more about it -- and I can't wait for it to be over. On the other hand, I don't delude myself that five years from now teenagers won't be wearing t-shirts that give administrators the cramps; they'll just be different t-shirts, with different messages.

Also, you know. My kid has a t-shirt which reads "I have issues." Because I think it's funny and she does too. I may not be the right person to get outraged over a t-shirt.

Your thoughts?

Written by johnmscalzi Blog about this entry

This entry has 12 comments: (Add your own)

#12 Comment from psychfun
10/8/06 3:32 AM | Permalink

My students get told anything that can be offensive or sexually harassing is prohibited & that is in College. No falling out of your push up bra in my classroom! They are now sticking to funny psych ones! :-)
#11 Comment from monponsett
9/28/06 2:39 AM | Permalink

When I was teaching, I used to have this student named Natasha (half Puerto Rican/half Sicilian) who had Tig Ol' Bitties. She used to dress to draw attention to them.

If I ever mentioned the fight we had at my school's Thanksgiving dinner in here before.... it was 2 guys fighting over her. She had been in our school less than 20 hours at that point.

I kept a school sweatshirt in my desk every day, and I'd make her wear it any time I saw more than 10% of a breast. It's tough to teach Geography if 90% of the class is staring at the Twin Cannons.
#10 Comment from southernmush
9/27/06 7:47 PM | Permalink

Mr. Scalzi... I have to admit that I am a woman who wears shirts like that. I happen to like these shirts. One of my favorites read " I Lost My Number Can I Have Yours ? " Another one I have reads " You Know You Want Me ". I can't say that I care what people think when it comes to the clothes I wear. People often read my shirt and respond kindly to whatever my shirts say. A lot of people often laugh when they read my shirts which I like. It shouldn't matter what you wear its just clothing. I buy shirts just for the reason I wear them.....people will give a reaction to them. If someone doesn't like my shirt I don't really care its their problem not mine.
#9 Comment from nolamonica
9/27/06 4:51 PM | Permalink

To me, the most offensive part of the story was the young man who said he "wouldn't let" his girlfriend wear a particular t-shirt.

I've contemplated the sentence opener, "My husband won't let me" quite a bit, out of amusement and curiousity, and the only predicate I've come up with that makes sense is, "poke him repeatedly with a sharp stick."
#8 Comment from nicurnmama
9/27/06 4:38 PM | Permalink

considering that I am addicted to the t-shirts from planetmom.com, I can't really comment. But I will say that in our house the kids have a rule about t-shirts, or any clothing that thy might wear. If you can wear it comfortable around your grandmom, then you can wear it. Most double entres don't pass the grandmom tet here under the Big Top.
Laura

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Kids and Their Wacky T-Shirts