supercool

Print media takes many forms, so I’m going to take the liberty of extending its domain to printed tees. In the prime of my middle school career, my wardrobe boasted a collection of printed or graphic shirts, often with a logo as the only embellishment. While tween and teen focused stores often sold a dizzying variety of these shirts with blatant product placement, I’m at a loss for words as to why my friends and I thought it was cool to wear tees emblazoned with the Coke logo or Lucky Charms catchphrase.

What is Mello Yello and why is it on my shirt?

The choice of brands on the tees is especially interesting, because they often included characters from old television shows or movies. Take, for instance, the popular Superman shirts. What does the famous red S stand for? Well, it was originally the symbol for the character in the comic series, which was then turned into a television show and a lucrative movie series. Fast forward to the present -- the Superman theme is currently embodied in the CW’s Smallville (I can’t believe this show is still running...) It’s obvious that the red S on graphic tees is directly related to profitable Superman franchise. With so many Superman products tied into the media industry, it seems that even fashion falls victim to product placement in the media.