The Enduring Appeal of the Men's T-shirt

T-shirts are worn everywhere across the globe. They seem to have changed little, if at all, over the decades. And while the T-shirt is one of the most basic forms of clothing, it's also extremely versatile. There are short sleeved and long sleeved shirts, tank tops, muscle tops, square necks, V-necks and more!

T-shirts, being made from cotton and/or polyester, are usually easily affordable. They are generally not seen as luxury items so there is an egalitarian, blue-collar feel to them. That said, many designer brands have T-shirts -- mainly catering to the style-conscious gay and metrosexual market. Narciso, Goldenbay, Ajaxx63, and 2xist are examples.

Although often worn by women, the T-shirt is seen more as a men's clothing item. Perhaps this is due to its association with hard outdoor, physical work. It could also be related to the military element in its history:

Though the T-shirt seems to have evolved gradually over many decades, if not centuries, the garment as we know it does seem to have been “born” during the First World War.  When US soldiers served in Europe they wore bulky, hot wool uniforms. They noticed that their European counterparts were supplied with much lighter, more comfortable undergarments. Seeing their usefulness, the Americans took this design and made it their own. From there it went back to the USA where it proved hugely popular.

Being a tight-fitting garment, favored by the young and physically fit, the T-shirt can symbolize raw sexuality. For this reason T-shirts -- not unlike blue jeans -- feature heavily in popular culture. Countless pop songs mention T-shirts and stars such as R Kelly and Frank Zappa have performed songs featuring T-shirts -- as did the bands ZZ Top and Destiny's Child.

Movies, too, often feature characters wearing T-shirts. Style icons James Dean and Marlon Brando were famous for wearing this men's clothing item in their iconic films. Brando wore his (famously ripped in one intense scene) in Streetcar Named Desire. James Dean wore a white T-shirt in Rebel Without a Cause. It was this movie more than any thing else that cemented the T-shirt as a symbol of youthful male rebellion.

Because of their material and shape, T-shirts are also easily screen printed. This facilitates the practice of placing logos, slogans and animation on them -- much of which is political in nature.

Counter-culture activists often wear T-shirts emblazoned with the image of Che Guevara. But often the rebellion is less ideological; more playful and ironic. Gay men are particularly fond of this means of self-expression. With their “in your face” and often cheeky and humorous statements of gay identity they make a fashion statement that is also political. Metrosexuals, too, have a finely honed sense of irony and often wear these items. The owner of the mail-order men's clothing store DealByEthan.com -- which sells all kinds of T-shirts including tank tops and long and short sleeved varieties -- says that animated T-shirts are among its most popular items.

Of course, fashions come and fashions go. But one thing is certain: decades hence the men's T-shirt will certainly still be in great demand and a favored means of self -expression -- particularly for the young, energetic and rebellious.