The T-shirt is so ubiquitous that we don’t give it a second thought. How many of us own a dozen or more? We can go down to the big box department store and buy new T-shirts whenever we need them. We can buy online from big names like Amazon, or shop boutique brands like New York-based Plurawl.
We don’t tend to think of T-shirts as anything special. Unless, of course, we buy a few to express a particular message we care about. That is what Plurawl T-shirts and hoodies do. They are designed for the LatinX community to present ideas that are near and dear to them. But otherwise, T-shirts are a dime a dozen. Or are they?
Motivating the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia football fans suffered through a miserable season last year. Heading into this season, they have a new head coach in Nick Sirianni. He is said to be a fantastic motivator and a player’s coach. One of the ways he motivates is through his T-shirts.
Sirianni allegedly wears a different T-shirt every day. Sometimes a shirt will have a thought-provoking message. Other times, he wears wear a shirt with a particular player’s image on it. It seems to work for him and his team.
Raising Money for Charity
On a more noble note, T-shirts are a fantastic tool for raising money. People have been creating charity-drive T-shirts for decades. Maybe someone in your town is trying to raise money to help people still struggling from the effects of COVID. You can help by buying a T-shirt showing your support. All the proceeds go to a community COVID fund. And that is just one example.
An extension of the T-shirt idea is doing something like a community car wash, or a charity run. Participants do not show their support by buying T-shirts, but T-shirts are a reward for participating in the event. Everybody who washes cars gets a T-shirt. Everybody who raises money by running gets one, too.
Identification in a Crowd
After a full year of staying home, people are ready to travel again. They are also ready to buy matching T-shirts for every member of the travel party. T-shirts are a fantastic way to identify people in a crowd. They are perfect for large tour groups visiting busy tourist spots during the height of summer. They are great for families visiting popular theme parks in Florida, Ohio, and Texas.
Every member of a given family wearing a brightly colored T-shirt makes a statement. The T-shirts help the adults keep track of the youngsters. And should a youngster get separated inadvertently, other guests can help that child quickly find the family. Just look for the right T-shirt.
Enhancing a Piece of Fiction
T-shirts are even powerful enough to enhance fiction. Take the Clint Eastwood film, Heartbreak Ridge. It tells the story of an aging gunnery sergeant tasked with whipping a group of undisciplined soldiers into shape before their services as a recon unit are needed. One of the first things he does is require his men to match his T-shirt color every morning. If they are not wearing the right T-shirts, they have to do extra calisthenics or running.
To make a long story short, the soldiers eventually learn to adapt. They finally figure out a way to make sure their T-shirts match his. Their small victory lays the foundation for the rest of the story. Heartbreak Ridge wouldn’t be the same film without the T-shirts
T-shirts are all-purpose clothing. But they are often so much more. We just don’t see it because we take them for granted.