Thursday, December 11, 2008

The T-Shirt Through History

By Fabian Toulouse

If you look in your closet, there is a good chance that a little bit of inspection will show that you have at least one T-shirt, possibly more! T-shirts are perhaps best defined as a thin cotton or cotton polyester shirt that is pulled on over the head. There are no buttons, no collar, and though they may have long sleeves, the sleeves on the classic T-shirt will cut off slightly above elbow or higher. They are worn casually and due to their light weight and soft texture are great favorites for wearing around the home.

The common T-shirt is worn by lots of people who don't usually think or even know about it's history, honestly and truthfully, it's has been around for eons. There is no definite set time when this garment was first worn, but it can generally be traced back to England during the 1880's. Back then it was called an vest, another name would be an under-vest. It was mainly meant protect a man's clothing from perspiring damage. Today, most men wear the T-shirt, but as underwear and for the same reason, perspiration .

American soldiers in World War II, used the English version under-vest because their own garments were heavier and not as comfortable in the hot weather. The lighter weight shirt could be worn on it's own making a person more comfortable, cooler and able to move easier. It's guessed the term "T-shirt" was spoken to describe this garment thanks to it's distinctive shape. Others speculate the name T-shirt came from its name of "training shirt."

The aftermath of the second World War saw the use of the T-shirt as a garment in its own right, rather than simply as a piece of underwear. In the 1948 election, both candidates came out with T-shirts printed with their campaign slogans; it was "Dew it for Dewey for Thomas E. Dewey, and "I Like Ike" for Dwight D. Eisenhower. Though we commonly see plenty of T-shirts with various slogans on them today, it was quite a shock for the people of the time. T-shirts had connotations of masculinity and ruggedness, and this was further enlarged upon in film performances. James Dean's Rebel Without A Cause showed up in a crisp white T-shirt, and Marlon Brando showed off his impressive physique in a T-shirt in The Wild One.

For some people, T-shirts are part of their essential wardrobe, while for others, it is a piece of underwear. Some people love to have T-shirts that show where they have been while other people prefer that their T-shirts are quite plain. No matter how you wear your T-shirt, you should remember that there are lots of cool T-shirts out there, and that you have plenty of choices to make when you are looking for one that will suit you! - 16492

About the Author: