Messages Of Strength

Both of these graphic T-shirts demonstrate how Black women can overtly show messages of strength.

Phenomenal Women

Images of Michelle Obama and other Black women represent the significance and history of Black women’s impact on society. Wearing this Black women’s history T-shirt can allow the wearer to feel connected to Black women’s history and make her feel empowered and strong.

 

Black women’s history cotton T-shirt with heat pressed vinyl lettering and imagery, text on shirt reads “Phenomenal Women of Soul Our Strength is in Our History,” c. 2010s. Owned by Oni. Distressed flared denim jeans, c. 2010s. Owned by Destiny. Photo by Dyese Matthews and Kelly L. Reddy-Best, 2019.

 

Close up of phenomenal women T-shirt, c. 2010s. Owned by Destiny. Photo by Dyese Matthews and Kelly L. Reddy-Best, 2019.

Black Dollars Matter

The “Black Dollars Matter” T-shirt reflects the importance of supporting Black-owned businesses in an effort to empower the Black community. The phrase “Black dollars matter” mirrors the phrase Black Lives Matter and the many initiatives of the movement including resistance against white supremacy, uplifting Black people, and caring for Black success. While discussing why she owns the shirt, Viveca said, “Because I believe that if we keep our dollars generated within our businesses then we have no choice but to keep growing.”

 

Green “Black Dollars Matter” cotton T-shirt with heat-pressed vinyl lettering, c. 2010s. Owned by Viveca. Denim pants, ISU Textile and Clothing Museum. Photo by Dyese Matthews and Kelly L. Reddy-Best, 2019.
Photo of Viveca wearing a white T-shirt printed with “Black Dollars Matter” in vinyl lettering, c. 2010s. Photo courtesy of Viveca. [© All Rights Reserved]

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

Collegiate Fashion and Activism: Black Women’s Styles on the College Campus Copyright © 2019 by Dyese Matthews and Kelly L. Reddy-Best is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.