T-shirts and their popularity fascinates me, especially since they have become increasing available and used in the last fifteen years. Which is a very American invention, as I learnt once from a documentary. The following two lines are taken directly from wiki's entry on T Shirt.
By the Great Depression, the T-Shirt was often the default garment to be worn when doing farm or ranch chores, as well as other times when modesty called for a torso covering but conditions called for lightweight fabrics.
A V-neck T-Shirt has a V shaped neckline, as opposed to the round neckline of the more common crew neck shirt. V necks were introduced so that the neckline of the shirt does not stand out when an outer shirt is worn over it, thus reducing or eliminating the visible cloth above the outer shirt of a crew neck shirt.
But the more interesting and amusing aspect for me is the use of quotes and interesting images on T-Shirts. T-shirts are like public art, and because they are on people, it is also mobile art--more often than not, the quotes are meant to be witty, funny, and occasionally condescending. The latter part has become more common, as our culture has become proud of the irreverence that we exhibit, whether it is in smart-alecky humour from Chandler of Friends or razor sharp jokes of late night talk show hosts.
Yet many a times I have read quotes that have made me smile. I never noticed them so much as I did in Fiji, and so I kept an account of various T-Shirt quotes. T-shirts have become a trend, many of these end up in second hand shops, some defected material that visibly isn't so makes it there and people don them as an expression of their wit--or not. Often times I think they are not even aware of what it means. For example, a very nice straight Indian man was wearing this T-Shirt with a rainbow on it that proudly claimed, that 'It was in to be out¨. But two of my favourites were, 1. I tried being good (on a child who was about four years of age). 2. 100% Instant human, just add coffee!!
And how can I forget the only one I remember from Portugal, on an ageing but agile man, who was unkempt, looked like he had not bathed in a while, had a loose cigarette hanging from his cracked lips----which read--¨Believe me, I am a virgin.¨ I doubt he knew what that meant either. But there it was a claim!!
So, the following few pictures reminded me of my fascination with T-Shirts with words. We were going to my teacher's place (yes, I keep in touch with my teachers too, and try to visit her every year when I am home)--so we stopped for some fresh fruit to take as gift. And there was this buff vegetable seller, who was so different from the vegetable sellers that I used to know. Scrawny, malnourished and hardly interested in anything, or so they looked. This one, looked like he was a bollywood star, or getting ready to go there.
I kept moving my head and my camera to get a look at what his T Shirt said. He must think that I was taking pictures of him. But I did like what his T Shirt said, even though, I am not sure if he could read it.
A slightly better view, but I still could not get the whole thing.
And there it was--almost a message for me at the time...
Plain and simple truth--through a T-Shirt--Rule # 1 of Life, Do what makes YOU HAPPY. Once again life is not as simple as that, sometimes we should think of other people's happiness over ours, but we will leave it at that....may be we need to first ask ourselves, what makes us happy.....(for you and I know, we loose that in the rigour of life...)
Fresh apples and bit of life philosophy, you can't beat that....
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