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Language Matters | From The Wizard of Oz to Taylor Swift, graphic T-shirts can pack a political or social punch – but only sometimes

  • There is a lot going on where fashion and language intersect – such as on T-shirts with phrases and messages printed on them, as worn by singer Taylor Swift
  • Graphic tees had their beginnings in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and became a staple in the 1960s, sometimes as a medium for a political or social statement

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Taylor Swift performs onstage during her Eras tour in 2023 in California. Graphic T-shirts like the one she is wearing here can often pack a political or social punch even when they are not intended to by their designers. Photo: Getty Images

Much has been (glitter-gel-) penned about Taylor Swift’s wardrobe over her various album eras, and about her language, including her changing accent, and her lyrics’ symbolism and imagery. There is also a lot going on where fashion and language intersect.

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“NOT A LOT GOING ON AT THE MOMENT” was the language conveyed on Swift’s sequinned top worn in her “22” music video’s opening scene, the work of British-based designer Ashish Gupta.

In her current Eras tour performance of “22”, she updates that message, her T-shirt now declaring: “A LOT GOING ON AT THE MOMENT”. Other nights’ T-shirts read “WHO’S TAYLOR SWIFT ANYWAY? EW.” and “WE ARE NEVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER LIKE EVER”.

Keywords “A LOT”, “EW”, “NEVER” and “EVER” were bolded in red. Swifties had been hoping that these red letters meant another of her Easter eggs – hidden messages in computer games, software, film, music – which would, anagram-like, eventually spell out her next production plans.

One of the T-shirts Swift wore.
One of the T-shirts Swift wore.

Such graphic T-shirts have, of course, been around for a while.

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Their very first appearance was not in the fashion world, but in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, where three minions stuffing the scarecrow wore bright green T-shirts with the word “OZ” in white, and in the 1940s showcasing United States military branch logos.

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