Way back in the early days of rock ‘n roll, musicians used to take to the stage dressed in formal wear. All the men wore suits and ties while the woman adorned nice dresses. They were only doing what their big band counterparts were doing. Today, it is a different scene. Musicians can take the stage wearing just about anything, including cheap T-shirts and torn jeans.
So what happened? How did we get from a group of people that dressed up whenever we left the house to people who are comfortable looking completely unkempt? No one really knows. And yet, here we are. If only T-shirts were considered formal dress for work, business meetings, and a night at the opera.
Jimmy Buffett Is on to Something
Speaking of musicians not dressing up before going on stage, Jimmy Buffett might have been a pioneer in this regard. For decades he has been performing in Hawaiian shirts, casual shorts, and no footwear. Half the time it seems like he hasn’t taken time to shave or do anything with his hair. But that’s okay because the beach bum look is his signature.
Perhaps he’s on to something. Maybe his ‘no worries’ outlook is something we should all strive to achieve. Not that the planet could exist if we all hung out at the beach and no one had a job. Obviously, that wouldn’t work. But maybe, just maybe, too many of us are far too uptight for our own good.
Perhaps we all need a whole new collection of cheap T-shirts to replace the formal wear. Maybe we need to take ourselves a little less seriously and make a little more effort to consider the universe beyond the four walls we live inside of.
T-Shirts, T-Shirts Everywhere
A more casual approach to life could have us all going to work in jeans and T-shirts. Sneakers would replace dress shoes and pumps. Smartphones that force us to be connected 24/7 would be swapped out for flip phones that only make calls. All-day meetings would be replaced by casual get-togethers on the beach or in the park.
A ‘T-shirts everywhere’ approach to life might help us put things into perspective. Maybe we wouldn’t be so hung up on power, money, and all the other things that seem to enslave people. Five Dollars T-Shirts could become our clothier of choice regardless of budget or social class.
If cheap T-shirts were considered formal wear, our whole outlook on life might be drastically different. And would that be such a bad thing? Maybe, but maybe not. No one has ever tried it on a massive scale. No one really knows if it would work.
Everyone Needs a Dream
The likelihood of the world adopting the Jimmy Buffett mindset, complete with cheap T-shirts and ratty jeans, is not all that great. Still, everyone needs a dream, right? It would be nice if the world were not such a stressful place to live in. It would be nice if we could come up with real solutions to problems, solutions that made everybody happy.
Unfortunately, reality bites. The days can be a struggle against a world and a system that seems to do everything to defeat humanity. And yet we soldier on. We go to work and pay our bills; we take care of our families and support our neighbors; we do the best we can with the hand we have been dealt.
Our cheap T-shirts are relegated to the weekends and the temporary respite those days offer. Maybe that’s why we love them so much.
