My Tshirt

While learning about the NPR t-shirt project for this week’s post, a song by Thomas Rhett was stuck in my head. Every time I learned a new fact about how a t-shirt is made, I couldn’t help but think about how different what contexts Thomas Rhett’s song and the video were from each other.

I decided to record part of Rhett’s music video for the song as well as a video of women in a t-shirt making factory. I also decided to add in pictures of men modeling t-shirts in addition to women across the world actually making them. All of the men in the pictures and the video were white while all of the women making the shirts were women of color. This juxtaposition further highlights how much is really behind the t-shirt making business. Women across the globe are working ridiculously long hours in extremely unsafe working conditions to make practically no money. Meanwhile in America, white men are treating them singing about them and modeling them for a lot of money. This contrast emphasizes the point NPR was trying to make in their series and adds perspective. I will never wear a t-shirt again without thinking about where it came from and every step step it took to get to me.