Social T-shirtsWardrobe Advice

Nice weather, huh? What’s your sign? Perhaps it’s time to freshen up your conversation starters. If you’re in the market for a special someone, trying letting your t-shirt do the talking for you.

A t-shirt with a funny saying or unusual design can easily spark a conversation. Start thinking of t-shirts as personal ads. They’re a way to show off your personality and interests. Hey, you gotta get dressed, right? Why not don a shirt that could help kick your love life into overdrive.

Funny shirts

We all love to be around people who make us laugh. If you can get a smile out of that cutie sitting next to you on the bus, you’ve got an opening to introduce yourself. T-shirts with funny sayings are hugely popular right now, so shopping for one will be easy.

Sometimes we all enjoy a bit of “potty humor” or laugh at an offensive joke. But if you’re looking to meet a special someone, you should probably steer clear of the lewd and crude. Or anything that indicates you like to party until you pass out.

Political t-shirts

What social issues matter to you most? Who do you plan to vote for in the upcoming election? Wearing a t-shirt that expresses your opinion on a social or political issue can be a great way to meet someone who shares your values. You could even invite them to a meeting or rally.

Bands, movies, and TV shows

Are you a diehard Beatles fan? Have you memorized every line of The Godfather? Sport a shirt featuring a pop culture reference, and you could meet someone with similar tastes in movies and music. A shirt with a classic movie quote is always a winner, and it’s a natural segue into asking them out to the movie. Concert shirts are cool, too, and they present you with opportunity to ask them to check out a new band that’s playing this weekend.

Hobbies and interests

Whatever you love to do, there’s a t-shirt out there that says it. Try a shirt featuring the logo of your favorite sports team or a print of your favorite piece of art. You can also wear shirts indicating you belong to a particular club or team. Next thing you know, you’ll be inviting them to the opening of the Impressionist collection at the local museum. Having things in common is the foundation of a strong, healthy relationship.

Announce your singleness

If you’re feeling bold, just come right out and say it: I’m single and looking! It could actually serve a practical purpose. We’ve all spotted a looker but opted not to chat them up thinking “Someone that good looking can’t possibly be single.” Your shirt would clear that question right up.

Time to trade in your plain white tees for something with a bit more personality. Be funny, be provocative…you can even be downright desperate! Maybe that last one isn’t the best idea. Whatever style you go for, next time you’re shopping for tops, keep personal ads in mind.

T-Shirts have the ability to connect us as social beings or they can disconnect us from one another. The reactions they can evoke are based on the image, phrase, color or pattern of a t-shirt. Up until recently they have been used to display art, make statements or simply cover your skin. There purpose has now evolved into another form of ingenious social interaction. Below are three examples of the next generation of t-shirts.

1. The 8 Bit Dynamic Life Shirt
ThinkGeek.com released a black t-shirt with six red hearts and during normal activities the number of glowing hearts is two and a half. But if you get within hugging distance of another person who is wearing the same shirt six hearts will light up on both shirts.

These seem really fun to wear as a couple or even just by yourself and hope that someday you will run into someone else who has the same t-shirt. I would love to see the hearts do more than just react to another t-shirt but to actually measure the temperature or moisture and change like the old mood rings. With something like that it could be the same way with hearts or actually opposite so the more worked up you get it would show danger skulls letting people know they should stay away.

Buy: 8 Bit Dynamic Heart Shirt

2. Reactee SMS/Text T-Shirts
Reactee launched a line of t-shirts that don’t change form or colors but it does leave an open invitation for others communicate with you. If someone sees your t-shirt and sends a SMS to the number on the shirt they will receive a custom text message response from the creator of the t-shirt. These shirts can be used by political activists, organizations, people who want a date or anyone who wants a new way to communicate whether for business or personal reasons. You can browse creations by others or you can create your own reaction t-shirt.

What is great about Reactee is that there are so many opportunities entreprenuers to use this concept to connect with strangers

Buy or Create your own Reactee

3. Hug Shirt
The Hug Shirt by Cute Circuit is a shirt allows people send hugs via cellphone. Inside of the Hug Shirt are sensors that “feel the strength of the touch, the skin warmth and the heartbeat rate of the sender and actuators that recreate the sensation of touch, warmth and emotion of the hug to the shirt of the distant loved one”. When you send a hug using your mobile phone it delivers the hug data to your friend’s phone and transmits it by Bluetooth to their shirt. Hugs can now be sent around the world. The Hug Shirt uses RoHS components so it lead-free and non-toxic. To wash your shirt you remove the sensors and they can easily be put back with little effort. Hugs can be sent whether or not both parties have a hug shirt but it sure is more fun if a couple each has their own shirt. The shirt has received great reviews but don’t excited yet as it has not been released for sale to the public just yet. The Hug Shirt was expected to hit the market in mid-2007 but it hasn’t hit the street yet. It will be priced “around the same as an iPod” (CNN)

While this may not be a shirt that you will wear everyday it does open up a new world for those who are still trying to work on that long distance relationship.

More Info on the Hug Shirt: Visit Cute Circuit