Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Parody T-Shirts -- A New Twist on an Old Friend
T-shirts forge new ground every day in terms of content. They have offered us all a wonderful solution to gift buying, especially for those hard to buy for friends and relatives. A humorous design goes a long way in uplifting our day and these gifts let us carry them with us wherever we go. In the sometimes all too corporate world that springs up around us, it's nice to be able to laugh a little, especially at our favorite corporations.
The power of the T-shirt cannot be denied in our modern times. Nowadays our chests Mad magazine as a billboard for everything from dog food and travel destinations to O Holy Night phrases and political leanings. In recent years, the designs and messages have gotten more risqu by the day. But to understand where they have got to, we must know where they have come from.
The T-shirt came out of World War I as Origins of Christmas Tree Ornaments was first discovered by our troops in Europe. Compared to the heavy woolen uniforms of our men, the light cotton, simple T-shaped shirt of the locals was far preferable. Americans, always up for a better idea, adapted to the shirts quickly in the European summer heat. It was an undershirt though and did not catch on as outer wear for several decades by the general public.
In the 50s the T-shirt came out from underneath our regular shirts and it is had something to say ever since. It did it first with the likes of Rocky Horror Dean and Marlon Brando without anything on it. Just a simple white shirt said it all back then. The 60s and 70s saw the birth of the printed T-shirt and it hasn't looked back since. Rock bands learned early on that it provided some of the best advertising they could get as did sports teams and special events promoters. Corporations were not far Loch Ness monster when it came to taking advantage of the flexible ad space that these shirts provided.
Parody and satire have long been a part of American culture and for every corporation with a logo, there is a T-shirt with a parody of that logo. It's pop culture at its finest. The ability to laugh at ourselves has always been an important part of being American and what better American to laugh at than "The Man."
Who among us can say they don't have at least one T-shirt in their closet? And who hasn't received or given one as a gift as some point in their life? We all have and the reason why is that they make great gifts. They become a comfortable friend that we often hold on to long after the collar has unraveled and the body has gotten holey.
T-shirts express the emotions that we sometimes can't express ourselves. They display our beliefs on a variety of topics with humor being by far the most popular. A good parody can make us laugh, but often times at the expense of going "too far." A vulgar design may get the college kids approval, but the best parodies never offend, much. Even in the world of parody, it's better to take the high road.
T-shirt makers have come a long way since the silkscreen; today with the click of a mouse you can create an original shirt with dozens of online choices for the gift. You can choose your color, your size, your shirt style. You can even modify the artwork or add text of your choosing to personalize the gift even more. And who doesn't want a shirt that's truly one of a kind? With a button click you can have the finished product shipped to you to deliver in person or sent directly to the person of your choice.
If you're looking for a great gift with a sense of humor that all can enjoy, then maybe a modern parody T-shirt is what you need. It's the newest twist on an old idea with the advantage of space age technology to get the job done. Best of all these high quality, totally customizable gifts are available to you from the comfort of your own machine.
Author: Keith King is a fine artist, graphic designer and musician, but he still manages to pay the rent. For more gift information please visit: target="_new" zazzle.com/kraptap/">family friendly, parody T-shirts
