{"id":2406,"date":"2018-06-13T10:54:53","date_gmt":"2018-06-13T09:54:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/?p=2406"},"modified":"2018-08-22T13:06:37","modified_gmt":"2018-08-22T12:06:37","slug":"activist-apparel-t-shirts-behind-protest-movements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/activist-apparel-t-shirts-behind-protest-movements\/","title":{"rendered":"Activist Apparel: The T-Shirts Behind Protest Movements"},"content":{"rendered":"

As American actress Connie Britain reminded us at the Golden Globes ceremony back in January with her “Poverty Is Sexist”<\/span><\/a> top, wearing our politics on our sleeve \u2013 or, rather, chest \u2013 is an instant debate starter. Worn and seen in the right spheres, these small, unspoken acts of dissent, provocation, satire and solidarity can make big waves. Little wonder then, that we\u2019ve been diligently applying words to this most accessible item of clothing (named, incidentally, after the capital letter it resembles when laid out flat) for decades.<\/span><\/p>\n

Feminist tees for the Tumblr age <\/span><\/h3>\n

In 2018, fourth-wave feminist internet snark is the gift that just keeps on giving. Statuses, tweets and memes are increasingly likely to appear on our tees, from the cleverly doctored Cyndi Lauper lyrics: \u201cGirls Just Wanna Have Fun(Damental Human Rights)\u201d, to the rise of ironic misandry<\/span><\/a>, with its many, merciless variations on drinking\/bathing in \u201cMale Tears\u201d. Witches \u2013 out of the broom closet and flourishing in the digital realm \u2013\u00a0are also transforming their digital missives into woke wear, with indie crafters inviting us to “Hex The Patriarchy”<\/span> \u2013 an imperative turned praxis last year when witches around the globe (including pop star Lana Del Rey) cast a mass binding spell<\/span> against America\u2019s pussy-grabber-in-chief<\/span><\/a>, Trump.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If the political slogan tee is ubiquitous in 2018, it\u2019s because injustice is equally so<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Just The Same But Brand New: Recycled Slogans\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

Increasingly, the net is responsible for both new, 280-character-ready slogans, and the revival of retro originals, zingers culled from the placards, banners, ephemera and tees documented in yesteryear\u2019s photos. Instagram, with its wealth of diligently tended archival accounts, is frequently responsible for this re-popularisation process. It was an image on the lesbian culture archive h_e_r_s_t_o_r_y, for example, that prompted LA-based designer Rachel Berks to reproduce the now infamous, Cara Delevingne-approved \u201cThe Future is Female\u201d tee, inspiring of a slew of response slogans (\u201cThe Future Is Queer<\/span>\/Genderfluid\/Non-Binary\u201d) and inadvertently igniting debates about artistic credits along the way after Berks failed to disclose the phrase\u2019s radical, \u201870s lesbian-feminist origins<\/span><\/a>. La Batarde, a collective of designers and artists raising money for the Irish organisation Abortion Support Network<\/span> have also revived a \u201870s h_e_r_s_t_o_r_y gem<\/span><\/a>, emblazoning their range of tees and sweatshirts with the cheer-worthy command: “Crush Phallic Imperialism”<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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