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| I was able to get 17 of these shirts on at once. |
Practically every activity I've ever participated in has yielded a t-shirt. JC Relays, middle school theater, Battle of the Books, there's an expectation that any group will get some sort of wearable memorabilia.
Believe me, I've gotten some pretty sweet t-shirts from this tradition. I have a glow-in-the-dark DECA shirt, a "tighty whities" themed soccer shirt, and a "Vote for Johanna" shirt from student government elections that features a big picture of Johanna on the front. T-shirts are a creative way to remember an event or team while still being useful. However, laying out all those shirts made me think of one thing that is more American than football: our consumer culture.
We grow up consumers. When I was a little kid I knew what I wanted for Christmas. We get more catalogues in the mail than personal letters. I own more clothes individually than an entire family in most other countries owns added together. The National Geographic book Material World is a visual reminder of that.
Do we really need a t-shirt to remember every high school moment? Of course not, but why do we keep doing it? Because it's inexpensive, easy, and a tradition that's ingrained into us. I'm no different. I own way too much stuff. I feel sentimental about a lot of it, be it clothes or gadgets.
Germany has a consumer culture, but it's a little different from the US's. For one thing, clothes are way more expensive. A $40 pair of Levi jeans in the US would cost about $100-150 in Germany. The exact same pair of jeans. Clothes in a "one time wear store" like H&M would probably be about 20% more expensive in Germany than in the US.
Due to this key difference between these two consumer cultures, I'm very interested to see what this piece of society is like in Germany. There are always "trendy" people, but will it be less common? I can't imagine being trendy growing up somewhere where jeans cost $150. Woodburn Outlets has spoiled me... and in turn I have way too many clothes.
As for the school activity shirts, they're all reminders of good memories and times throughout those four years. That said, I highly doubt I'll be bringing back too many soccer, DECA, drama, or band t-shirts auf Deutsch, for two reasons: 1.) German schools don't have all the extra-curriculars American ones do, and 2.) the consumer culture is apparently different.
I'll find out in a few short weeks! But for now, it's time to graduate!
Germany has a consumer culture, but it's a little different from the US's. For one thing, clothes are way more expensive. A $40 pair of Levi jeans in the US would cost about $100-150 in Germany. The exact same pair of jeans. Clothes in a "one time wear store" like H&M would probably be about 20% more expensive in Germany than in the US.
Due to this key difference between these two consumer cultures, I'm very interested to see what this piece of society is like in Germany. There are always "trendy" people, but will it be less common? I can't imagine being trendy growing up somewhere where jeans cost $150. Woodburn Outlets has spoiled me... and in turn I have way too many clothes.
As for the school activity shirts, they're all reminders of good memories and times throughout those four years. That said, I highly doubt I'll be bringing back too many soccer, DECA, drama, or band t-shirts auf Deutsch, for two reasons: 1.) German schools don't have all the extra-curriculars American ones do, and 2.) the consumer culture is apparently different.
I'll find out in a few short weeks! But for now, it's time to graduate!