Last weekend was Homecoming, and the sidewalks were streaked with green and white as students and alumni proudly rocked Ohio University’s colors. Sporting some OU gear of my own — a white T-shirt with “Ohio University” spelled in bright, colorful letters — I couldn’t help but reflect on the significance of such promotional clothing.
I’ve often thought it was funny how many students own the same bright and colorful OU T-shirt as I do, but what’s even more interesting is, unlike in any other fashion situation, it is totally acceptable to own the same shirt as a couple thousand other people.
If I were to walk into a party wearing a red dress from, let’s say, H&M, and eight other women at that party were wearing the same dress, it would be disastrous. The novelty of my outfit would be nonexistent, I would have failed to meet one of the ultimate qualifications of good fashion: individuality.
In the case of university T-shirts, however, one can walk into a party (or, say, a stadium) full of people all wearing identical shirts and it’s not only acceptable, it's encouraged. We call it “school spirit.”
Some of us wear T-shirts to work every day to label ourselves as employees. Sports fans commonly don variations of the same shirt to show their loyalty to a team and associate themselves with one another. T-shirts are one of the easiest methods for people to identify themselves as members of a group.
As the recent political campaigns have proven, T-shirts can be used to unite, but they can also be used to divide groups. Recently, the election has brought out a lot of political views, and even more T-shirts to express those views. Suddenly, students are divided by something as basic as a cotton crewneck with “Trump” screen-printed on the front (I have to note that while I’ve personally noticed a few Trump T-shirts on campus, I haven’t seen any Clinton shirts, nor any other candidate merchandise so far). In any other context, such a shirt would barely be enough to start a conversation; today, it could be enough to start a bar fight.
Despite the screen-printed tee’s ability to send people spiraling to opposite extremes, one project has proven that T-shirts can have the same intense power to bring people together again. From embracing police officers, to high-fiving marathon runners, Ken Nwadike Jr., founder of the Free Hugs Campaign, wears a simple black tee with “FREE HUGS” printed in bold white letters on the front to promote love and peace in a time when tensions are high all around the country.
What's even better: people love him for it. The idea of a man going around hugging strangers for no reason other than to promote kindness has warmed the hearts of thousands of YouTube viewers and social media users.
When we see that simple, kind-hearted message stated so plainly and simply across a man’s chest, we are moved. We are uplifted by the thought that someone is out there spreading love. We are compelled to hug someone ourselves. It's no wonder people are buying the Free Hugs shirts and joining the project.
T-shirts are an interesting and steadfast fashion statement, largely because when one wears a T-shirt, the message they are sending often transcends fashion. Over my four years at OU, I've collected a number of T-shirts associated with a variety of clubs and organizations, but the majority of the T-shirts I own (almost all of which were given to me for free) are OU-related. When I wear an OU T-shirt, I am declaring my pride in my school, I am acknowledging a part of my history and a part of who I have become, and I am uniting myself with a community of people who share a common experience. What a major statement to make with such a basic piece of clothing.
Kayla Beard is a senior studying journalism with a focus in web design at Ohio University. What do you think of promotional shirts? Let Kayla know by tweeting her @QKayK
