College of Health Sciences freshman Jenna Marino's closet is full of stylish and trendy clothes. From preppy polos to sparkly tank tops, friends looking for something stylish to wear out on a Saturday night know they can find it in Marino's closet. But there is one trend that you won't find Marino sporting: T-shirts displaying suggestive and risqué comments.
Such shirts, emblazoned with messages promoting sex and alcohol are making a noticeable appearance in stores geared at young people, if not their wardrobes. The most popular stores for young adults, like Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister Co., are becoming well-known for their scandalous tees.
"It seems like everywhere you go you see these shirts," said College of Arts & Sciences freshman Anthony Gattuso.
The shirts can be found for both men and women. However, they are generally geared toward men and are popular with both high school and college students.
According to Joel Sievert, an employee at Hollister Co. in Mayfair Mall, 2500 N. Mayfair Rd.,these shirts are humorous and appeal to an "almost alternative" lifestyle.
"That's our style," he said. "It's the California look."
The shirts are most likely to be found at the mall where a majority of the clothing looks the same, according to Jason Meyer, the owner of Detour Clothing, 1300 E. Brady St.
Stores sell these T-shirts "to set themselves apart in a mall setting," Meyer said.
"First and foremost, everybody is trying to see how far they can push things … before someone says 'That's enough,'" Meyer said.
"This is a reflection of what we see in TV, music and the media," Marino, the Health Sciences student, said. She pointed out that as these become the norm in society it is only expected that they would be reflected in today's most popular fashion.
However, some fashionistas and pop culture experts say that sporting shirts with phrases like "Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker" or "My other ride is your mom" could be negative for society as a whole.
"This really puts us back a step when we should be moving forward with messages on our bodies that move society, not bash society," said Areka Ikeler, owner of clothing boutique Fashion Ninja, 2671 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. "In America we are equal and this type of shirt is only made for the masses who don't think past what corporate America wants them to buy."
These shirts "breed or support stereotypes that were usually wrong in the first place," Meyer said.
In response, some of today's teens are taking an active stance against the trend. After a boycott by teenage girls and an appearance on NBC's "Today Show" by the Women & Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania, Abercrombie & Fitch announced that its shelves will no longer display T-shirts with sayings like: "Blondes are adored. Brunettes are ignored." and "I make you look fat." Store representatives did not say which shirts specifically they will pull from their fall and winter line, but made the following statement in a press release: "We recognize that the shirts in question, while meant to be humorous, might be troubling to some."