'Ladies Sewing Circle' t-shirt puchased in New York, 1981
Recently I attended the launch for Stephanie Talbot’s book, Slogan T-Shirts, Cult and Culture. It was a starry event, with fashion designers rubbing shoulders with journalists, bloggers and DJs. The book itself is a fascinating examination of the different meanings of slogan t-shirts, with contributions from designers, retailers and collectors as well as academics like myself. My contribution was an interview about the meanings and ethics of the currently popular ‘Barbie is a bitch’ t-shirt – it was really thought-provoking to unravel the different points of view on this slogan. Stephanie and I also discussed the ‘This is What a Feminist Looks Like’ t-shirt, and how its meaning changes depending on who is wearing it. I was pleased to see this t-shirt photographed on a variety of different wearers in the finished book. I was also interested to see -in the chapter by the designer Dr Noki – a different version of a t-shirt I have had for years but rarely worn because its slogan is so liable to misinterpretation: ‘Ladies’ Sewing Circle and Terrorist Society’. http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/slogan-t-shirts-9781408157541/