Statement Tee Shirts Become Modern Day Campaign

Story by Audriana Chenoweth

Statement tee shirts have made an impact on the way Central Michigan University students view issues in society. They have become a manner in which students can express who they are and what issues they stand for.

“Tee shirts have an impact on cultural, environmental, political and other issues that are relevant in today’s society,” sophomore Alex Heinemann said. “However, I feel that tee shirts have better phrases, symbols, photos and other ways pop culture can be merged with the issue at hand.”

Putting a face behind an issue has more of an impact on the people who view the shirts. With college students wearing these shirts, they allow for specific crowds of people within communities to learn about relevant issues.

“If someone is willing to wear and advertise something on the front of their shirt all day, it must mean a lot to them so it’s worth learning about,” junior Angela Lewan said.

Freshman Jessica Boehmer influences other students with her statement tee shirt about marine pollution.

“I don’t use straws in my daily life, but I’ll be wearing my shirt and request no straw,” Boehmer said. “And people will ask about it to understand why I don’t want a straw instead of being all weird about it.”

Students tend to avoid typical campaigns, such as flyers and posters,  due to the way communication is used about the topic. Many campaigns turn people away who are uninterested in problems that have to do news or politics.

“Issues would have a bigger impact on me if they were on tee shirts because I purposely do not pay attention to the news and campaigns,” sophomore Margot Moffa said. “But if I see a tee shirt I’m inclined to learn more about the subject.”

Designers used to say that certain things were the “new black” to show its popularity. Well, these statement tee shirts are the new campaign. They are more personal and make talking about a topic more interesting than a flyer that gets handed to every person passing by.

“Campaigns are boring, and tee shirts combine pop-culture and issues making them easier to understand,” Heinemann said.

Statement tee shirts are a stand-out way to catch people’s attention and raise awareness about certain issues that are important to many.