When the word "t-shirt" was first coined, it was as nothing more than the cut-off top of a set of long-john underwear. It took many, many years for anyone to stop thinking of t-shirts as anything other than a man's undergarment, but when it happened it happened in a big way. People realized that t-shirts were comfortable and easy to wear, as opposed to the multiple layers of the past. T-shirts became super popular in no time at all, and it wasn't long before people wanted to make them better. Funny t-shirts were the next logical step.
The first funny t-shirts starting popping up right around when the peace movement got a full head of steam behind it. The first funny shirts were actually pretty lame, with political humor that barely made any sense. Many of these clothes were made at home, even going so far as to be written on with black markers. These would never sell if someone tried to make money off of them, but they had special significance to the owners who created them. While not uproariously funny, they were personal and significant to the individual.
All through the decades of the 1970's and 1980's, music took the forefront in the world of the youth and, thusly, the world of fashion. Shirts stopped being funny when bands started using them to promote their brand and their music. It turned into a whole avenue of retail and advertisement for these musicians, and that tradition continues to this day. Sometime in the mid eighties, bands realized that putting their name and logo on a shirt wasn't enough. If these were funny t-shirts, they would sell much better and people would wear them more often. The funny shirt genre had been saved...or had it?
Sometimes when something is born again, it seems to rise from the ashes of its near demise as a fiery phoenix that is beautiful and profound. This is not what happened when funny t-shirts came back from being choked out by band shirts in the 70's and 80's. The 90's were here, and the general attitude in the 90's was that of brash offensiveness and speaking your mind, no matter what you were thinking. These new shirts were terrible, and not even particularly funny. Low brow toilet humor about getting drunk and chasing women. Every time one of these shirts shows up on a local news program is a blow to our shared psyche.
While there are plenty of places that are still selling offensive funny t-shirts, the new millennium has brought with it an increased intelligence. Blame it on the Internet, but people generally want to seem smarter than the silly shirts of the 90's. Now, shirts are modeling themselves after the movies and television that are being produced. Many of these new shirts are not only incredibly funny, but really quite good looking too.
Funny t-shirts took decades to grow up into the fine products that they are today. It took lots of growing pains and a consumer base that loved sharing laughs and humor with others. When I used to want to buy a funny shirt to wear out with my friends, it was a process of pounding my feet until I ran across one I liked at a terrestrial store. Now, I just have to sign onto the Internet and browse through thousands and thousands of options. The world of funny t-shirts is all grown up, and that maturity shows in a business renowned for immaturity. For people who love funny t-shirts, this is a good time to be shopping.
The first funny t-shirts starting popping up right around when the peace movement got a full head of steam behind it. The first funny shirts were actually pretty lame, with political humor that barely made any sense. Many of these clothes were made at home, even going so far as to be written on with black markers. These would never sell if someone tried to make money off of them, but they had special significance to the owners who created them. While not uproariously funny, they were personal and significant to the individual.
All through the decades of the 1970's and 1980's, music took the forefront in the world of the youth and, thusly, the world of fashion. Shirts stopped being funny when bands started using them to promote their brand and their music. It turned into a whole avenue of retail and advertisement for these musicians, and that tradition continues to this day. Sometime in the mid eighties, bands realized that putting their name and logo on a shirt wasn't enough. If these were funny t-shirts, they would sell much better and people would wear them more often. The funny shirt genre had been saved...or had it?
Sometimes when something is born again, it seems to rise from the ashes of its near demise as a fiery phoenix that is beautiful and profound. This is not what happened when funny t-shirts came back from being choked out by band shirts in the 70's and 80's. The 90's were here, and the general attitude in the 90's was that of brash offensiveness and speaking your mind, no matter what you were thinking. These new shirts were terrible, and not even particularly funny. Low brow toilet humor about getting drunk and chasing women. Every time one of these shirts shows up on a local news program is a blow to our shared psyche.
While there are plenty of places that are still selling offensive funny t-shirts, the new millennium has brought with it an increased intelligence. Blame it on the Internet, but people generally want to seem smarter than the silly shirts of the 90's. Now, shirts are modeling themselves after the movies and television that are being produced. Many of these new shirts are not only incredibly funny, but really quite good looking too.
Funny t-shirts took decades to grow up into the fine products that they are today. It took lots of growing pains and a consumer base that loved sharing laughs and humor with others. When I used to want to buy a funny shirt to wear out with my friends, it was a process of pounding my feet until I ran across one I liked at a terrestrial store. Now, I just have to sign onto the Internet and browse through thousands and thousands of options. The world of funny t-shirts is all grown up, and that maturity shows in a business renowned for immaturity. For people who love funny t-shirts, this is a good time to be shopping.
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