[Steady Reign]

In case you missed the news, Wednesday marked President Obama’s 100th day in office. If you’re looking for letter grades on foreign and economic policy, or pundits holding up cards like a bunch of old school cartoon characters grading a high diver and analyzing ‘promise vs. progress’, go check any news site because it’s been done and I have no desire to hash that out one more time. 100 days is a totally arbitrary number anyways and holds no real significance, but like letting Iowa and New Hampshire decide the front runners in the primary, it’s another retarded yet time-honored presidential tradition so we continue to hold onto it.

The 100th day also happens to fall just a few days shy of the six month anniversary of the president’s election.  A day that, especially for Obama, still holds much more significance than the meaningless 100 day mark. For those of a certain age, November 4th, 2008 will probably become a generational touchstone. Like the moonwalk, or President Kennedy’s assassination for our parent’s generation, whether you view it as a triumph or a tragedy, nearly everyone will remember exactly where they were the moment they heard Obama had won.

Six months ago, the election was everywhere, as was campaign fatigue. Personally, I didn’t mind the speeches, polls, news reports & pundits, but I definitely had campaign merchandise fatigue. The whole thing was becoming so commercialized, it seemed like just another example of capitalism run rampant. Anything that could be emblazoned with a buzzword like “Hope,” “Progress,” “Change,” or “Vote” was available for purchase. Every week a different streetwear company dropped a new ‘Obama’ tee. There were definitely a few clever ones, but like the majority of goods being hawked at the time, most seemed like a tired excuse to carve out a small chunk of change amidst all the hype. The worst example had to be a pair of Victoria’s Secret booty shorts with the word “VOTE” sewn right across the ass. What a joke. I would love to see the Venn Diagram showing the overlap between girls who buy Victoria’s Secret booty shorts with ass mottos and girls that give a shit about presidential elections. Not that they don’t exist but I’m thinking it’s a pretty narrow demographic. I’m not even sure why I continue to be surprised at what companies will do to cash in on an event when they smell money, but there I was, amazed again. Anything to make a buck, right?

A little too far?

But my opinion shifted a bit when I saw how many people were actually wearing Obama shirts on election night. Wearing an Obama tee, or anything political, is not the same as wearing an Ed Hardy or Affliction shirt.  Those brands are popular. Buying them is essentially just following the crowd, wanting to fit in with everyone else. As more people wear these brands, their original message (if they even had one) gets more and more diluted. It’s no longer confined to one specific subculture, because it’s everywhere. So many people wear these clothes now that any association with a particular lifestyle, image or ideal the brand may have had at one time is gone. They’ve become meaningless. Wearing it isn’t saying anything, except that maybe you wish people would think you look like an MMA fighter.

A political shirt is different. While a shirt from a popular brand is safe and lets you blend in, wearing a shirt with a political message sets you apart. Others can immediately tell a good deal about your beliefs and values, and you open yourself up to criticism from those that disagree. Putting it on is taking a much bigger risk and requires more of a commitment and belief in the message you are choosing to broadcast.

Which is why I found all the Obama tees on election night encouraging. Not the commercialization of the event, but the sheer number of people wearing them and the message that sent.

I can’t recall an election where so many people believed in a candidate enough to walk around with an image of them on their chest, where so many felt strongly enough to declare their allegiances and political views in such an open way. When do people even wear t-shirts with politicians on them?

Not in an ironic, hipster way like the ubiquitous Mao & Che shirts, and not in a making fun of/this-guy-has-become-the-butt-of-all-our-jokes-way like with the Bush, but out of genuine support for the person. When have people been that excited about a political figure? It’s a quiet but very significant statement.

During the campaign, McCain released an ad calling Obama ‘the biggest celebrity in the world.’ Today, being a celebrity can have just as many negative connotations as positive ones. Paris Hilton is a celebrity because she made a porn video. And she has lots of money. Not money that she earned herself, but money that her parents earned & gave her. Same goes for Kim Kardashian. And Nicole Richie is a celebrity because she was Paris Hilton’s friend. Being called a celebrity, in this context, amongst such accomplished company, is almost an accusation.

And how about Eliot Spitzer, Ted Stevens, or Larry Craig? Those names may be recognizable now, but how many people knew who they were before they were embroiled in various scandals? Politicians, especially outside their district or state, rarely reach celebrity status, and most of the time it’s only because they fuck up and make national news. But thus far, Obama hasn’t been involved in any scandals. Unlike those mentioned above, he’s famous, not infamous. He’s a celebrity based on his merits, not his follies. He’s a celebrity because people like him, look up to him and believe in what he says and what he stands for. That’s the kind of celebrity we need more of.

And if he gets people to think a little bit more about what they wear, if they like the leader of their country enough to wear a shirt with his face on it rather than the latest flash-in-the-pan pop diva once a week, that’s a remarkable thing. Historic too. I just hope he continues to give people a reason to wear those Obama shirts for a long time to come.

This post is tagged 100 Days, Barack, Barack Obama, Obama, President, Shepard Fairey, Streetwear, T-Shirt, Tee