“That’s what she said.” “I like to cuddle.” “Save the drama for your mama.” What do all three of these sayings have in common? All have somehow made it onto T-shirts and all of them I have spotted being worn on campus.

Of course everyone wants to be able to make people laugh and get complimented on what they are wearing. But in a prejudiced world where appearance tends to determine who your friends are, the decision to wear that screen tee could be more vital than originally thought, and it does have its positives as well as its negatives.

If I was sitting in class and an attractive-looking young man turned to me and asked me for my number, I might give it to him. But if that same man was wearing a shirt claiming that he has herpes (joke or not) chances are he wouldn’t leave with my digits that day.

If I was walking across campus and saw a woman wearing a shirt that said “I’m 40 and pregnant” (which I have seen), then those two facts that I gathered from her could lead up to many more prejudgments. That woman obviously is proud of the fact that she is expecting and she is not ashamed of her age. She cared to share those facts because society might otherwise think it to be out of the ordinary that somebody of her age would be with child. Based off of those thoughts we can even dig down deeper and perhaps come to conclusions that she might be stubborn because she is not afraid of age, or that she has had trouble conceiving in the past.

Another favorite of mine is when I saw one that said “That’s what she said.” I know that saying and I know it well due to its over-usage from my friends, but this one does crack me up. Obviously whoever “she” is must’ve said it because the people wearing the shirt can’t speak for themselves – they’re having their tee do it for them.

Just like being the judge, I have found myself being judged on nothing more than my attire alone, no matter what the occasion. Therefore I have taken note on what to wear where. If I walk into a fast-food chain to grab some cheap “grub” and am dressed in a formal evening gown, heads are guaranteed to turn. The same effect will take place if I walk into a job interview, most likely no matter what the type, if I were to show up wearing shorts and, yes, a screen tee.

We are so busy with our lifestyles that it has become a rare occasion to get to know somebody more than just skin-deep. So, we assume we can have somebody’s entire personality figured out just by looking at them. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate screen tees as they can bring humor and positivity to a situation that could have otherwise lacked in those categories. But I just want to remind people out there that you are being judged on what you wear whether you realize it or not, and you only get one chance at a first impression so I would suggest making it a good one.

Sarah Kay Hannon can be reached at [email protected]