Last summer we had a blog entry about message t-shirts,
which are t-shirts that contain a humorous, stupid or
thought-provoking slogan or idea. Some of the message tees were called
attitude tees and they were causing trouble at schools. The New York Timesreports that a specific kind of message t-shirt is now popular. These shirts allow the wearer to indicate a religious belief or preference such as "Everybody Loves a Catholic Girl," "Jewish is Cool," Buddha Rocks" and
"Jesus is my Homeboy." Urban Outfitters, Walgreens and many other
retailers now carry these religious message t-shirts, flip flops, tank
tops and bags. The Times says combining religion with fashion
items is just the "latest expression of religion as a pop phenomenon, one that has steadily gained ground with consumers since the best-selling Left Behind series of novels, based on a fundamentalist Christian interpretation of apocalyptic prophecy, turned up on bookshelves, and The Passion of the Christ became a box-office hit." The Times reports that these religious message tees are a big hit with consumers. For example, Teen Millionaire, the company that makes the "Jesus Is My Homeboy" t-shirt, has already sold a million shirts. Celebrities are hip to the trend as well. Ben Affleck, Pamela Anderson and Ashton Kutcher have all been seen wearing the "Jesus Is My Homeboy" shirt.
