# Why do people pay to be walking billboards, and other clothing rants **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 7, 2003, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770 "2003-05-07T21:41:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ascrivey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@ascrivey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ascrivey)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/41 "2003-05-09T16:38:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SpoilerVirgin \* > \*\*If I could find clothes that looked as good on me as my Lauren stuff (and was as well-coordinated), but was logo-free, I’d have no problem wearing it. But I think a little free advertising is a small price to pay for looking and feeling good. > \*\* I couldn’t agree more. Not to mention the fact that anything hubby or I have bought that is Lauren has lasted longer, washed up better, and fit better than most other clothing. It’s worth the money to me. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/42 "2003-05-09T18:52:35Z")
I wear clothes that look good on me and that I like. Sometimes I will pay a lot of money for those clothes, and sometimes not. I shop around. Sometimes those clothes have logos on them. I do not care. I’m sorry if this makes me fake, evil, or a sheep. ☹ Esprix ---
**Author:** ![elfje](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19b73/32.png) [@elfje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfje)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/43 "2003-05-10T11:14:01Z")
a fake, evil sheep? mmm… wouldn’t want to run into one of them in the middle of the night on a mountain cliff… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/44 "2003-05-10T13:15:20Z")
There’s actually a radio station here in DC that _sells_ their logoed T-shirts! Needless to say, I’ve never seen anyone wearing any of their shirts. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lilbtagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4491bb/32.png) [@lilbtagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilbtagna)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/45 "2003-05-10T15:33:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Otto \* > \*\*What I don’t get is designer underwear. Presumably if you’re in a position where your pants are off, the person you’re with is not going to leave based on the brand of undies you’re sporting. \*\* In the case of Victoria’s Secret, the reason so many of my friends and I shop there is because their bras and panties are comfortable. They are a little pricier, but if I have to be out and about for 10 to 15 hours a day, I don’t want a bra that itches and has to be constantly readjusted or panties that keep riding up. BTW, they also have low-rise panties of every kind: thongs, bikinis, boyshorts, etc. Also, I’ve never had trouble looking for pants or shorts that don’t sit too low on the waist. I prefer my jeans fitting me about an inch below my belly button, and I can find these just about everywhere, with or without the company logo on them. I just happen to like Levi’s jeans and Old Navy pants because they fit me well. I buy what I like, not what an advertising campaign tells me to get. If they happen to be the same thing, oh well. If it happens to have the brand name visible, so be it. If I’m comfortable and I feel I didn’t just waste too much of my money, I’m happy. ---
**Author:** ![PhiloVance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@PhiloVance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhiloVance)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/46 "2003-05-10T19:27:11Z")
Wow! All these calm, reasonable people on this message board. Wow! ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Wow! ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/47 "2003-05-10T19:29:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by birdgirl \* > \*\* It’s all skin-tight, low-cut T-shirts and micro-mini skirts. Have you seen these skirts? They would barely cover your crotch when you’re standing…I can’t imagine what happens when you sit down. All the pants are super-low waisted, so you have no choice but to look like Britney Spears and feel like your pants are always on the verge of falling down. > > Oh and it’s shorts season now, have you seen these shorts? Bootie shorts or Daisy Dukes don’t even accurately describe them. They are so short, they might as well be underwear. It’s hard to find a pair of shorts these days that doesn’t require you to shave your bikini area to wear! (Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle are the worst offenders with the shorty skirts and shorts.) > > Oh and have you tried to shop for underwear lately? It’s all thongs and G-strings. This is the new fad. What’s really trendy is to have your brightly colored thong visible above your low-waisted tight jeans. 13-year-olds are wearing these outfits. I went out to a nice restaurant near D.C. recently and nearby there was a table of 20-something nice-looking professional women sitting there, all with their G-strings visible above the waistline of their hip huggers. I thought this was disgusting! > > \*\* Like most guys, I think short skirts, hip-huggers and thongs are pretty hot. I’m not sure why I’m saying this, since it’s kinda obvious that most guys like this stuff. \*\* > [@](#): > > How does a young women find nice fashionable clothes these days without looking like a billboard or a hooker? It just drives me crazy! \*\* Laura Ashley? ---
**Author:** ![vandal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/858c86/32.png) [@vandal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vandal)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/48 "2003-05-11T00:45:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by birdgirl \* > \*\*Well it’s really more about how frustrated and pissed I feel when I go shopping and there’s all this crappy ugly clothing with names all over it, and I can barely ever find anything I like when I shop for clothes. And when I look at this shit, I think “why do people wear this shit?” I can hardly find a pair of shorts anymore that has more than a 1 inch inseam, or pants without a low waist that will fall down or give me a “plumber’s crack” when I sit down. It seems that everything these days is either made for the teeny-bopper generation or old-lady muu-muu type clothes. \*\* Jesus Fucking Christ, **birdgirl** , don’t give me this bullshit. Shorts with 1" inseams are extremely rare and jeans with low-cut waistlines are not the norm. You’re either (1) shopping in the wrong stores (2) wish you had the body to wear these clothes, or (3) jealous of those who do have the body for them, and all you can do is rant about it. If it pisses you off so much, stop shopping at brand name stores. Start going to Target, Wal-Mart, and K-Mart, and maybe you’ll have better luck. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/49 "2003-05-11T01:25:28Z")
Wowsers - who put that stick up **vandal’s** ass? ---
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/50 "2003-05-11T02:48:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Otto \* > \*\*What I don’t get is designer underwear. Presumably if you’re in a position where your pants are off, the person you’re with is not going to leave based on the brand of undies you’re sporting. \*\* Actually, designer underwear are quite a bit more comfortable. Of course, Under Armour is made for an athletic purpose, so I doubt a lot of people have to worry about Hanes boxer breifs crawling up their asses while running. That’s why I switched: Hanes creep in a game, UA Boxer Breifs don’t. Also, I wear the occasional Abercrombie t-shirt for a pupose: durability. I have five year old A&F tees that still fit like a dream and don’t have any holes. I wear their cargo pants exclusively for the same reason, they can take a beating at work. ---
**Author:** ![lorinada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5e925/32.png) [@lorinada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorinada)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/51 "2003-05-11T03:19:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vandal \* > \*\*Jesus Fucking Christ, **birdgirl** , don’t give me this bullshit. Shorts with 1" inseams are extremely rare and jeans with low-cut waistlines are not the norm. > > You’re either (1) shopping in the wrong stores (2) wish you had the body to wear these clothes, or (3) jealous of those who do have the body for them, and all you can do is rant about it. > > If it pisses you off so much, stop shopping at brand name stores. Start going to Target, Wal-Mart, and K-Mart, and maybe you’ll have better luck. \*\* Well, I planned to say it a little more nicely, but as I read the OP the same thoughts popped into my mind. I have never had trouble finding clothing suitable for a 45 year old woman. But, I haven’t set foot in a mall in decades - maybe that has someting to do with it? The discount stores - WalMart, Target, etc. are great. If you don’t like slumming it there are many independent clothing stores out there that do not cater to the teens. There is also the internet. I just recently received my summer clothing order. I have five new pairs of shorts, with inseams ranging from 5" to 7", and five tunic-length t-shirts with nary a logo. Very comfortable and the whole lot cost less than $200 WITH the s&h. ---
**Author:** ![lilbtagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4491bb/32.png) [@lilbtagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilbtagna)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/52 "2003-05-11T06:18:08Z")
**vandal** and **lorinada** are both right in saying that you can find less revealing, logo-less clothes outside of the mall. However, if you insist on going to the mall and not shopping at Walmart, Target, or K-mart, I suggest you look in the stores that don’t piss you off (such as Gap, Old Navy, A&F, AE, etc). Express and The Limited both have plenty of non-revealing clothing without the name brand anywhere but the tag. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/53 "2003-05-12T01:42:35Z")
I would not go to Walmart, Target or K-Mart, if you want clothes that are going to survive more than three washings. Try factory-outlet stores, if there are any in your area. You’ll get the same stuff they have at Sears, et. al., but it’s marked down because of slight imperfections. I’m still wearing stuff I bought at outlet stores in the early '90s. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/54 "2003-05-12T16:10:17Z")
Hey, I like the thongs, but I’m not wearing 'em. Logos are a PITA. I’m thinking of getting a T-shirt made with the logo “I am not a commodity” on the front. But mostly I want a shirt that fits. Can someone please make t-shirts and dress shirts that aren’t for obese people? Seriously, I’m having great difficulty finding a shirt that I couldn’t wear with a basketball hidden underneath. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/55 "2003-05-12T18:10:55Z")
First of all, I want to chime in and side with the folks who took the OP to be slightly ridiculous. If you don’t like it then don’t shop there. Where the hell do you live that somehow the only stores are Old Navy and A&F or The .99 Cent Thong Only Store?!? Secondly, to those of you who I can only describe as “anti-label” - take your elitist, too intelligent to buy someone elses advertising, look how I stick to my ideals attitudes and piss off. Really, piss right properly off. If you are taking that much out value out of the types of clothes you do not buy, you are just as bad as the teeny-booper crowd who think the right logo makes you more than others. You seem to be taking just as much pretensious attitude out of not wearing labels as they do in looking like the latest MTV video. I am very particular about certain items and am aware of the value in the brand name - both in value for the dollar and in what it says about me personally and the image/professional/socio-economic group I am a member of. That means sometimes I purchase very expensive designer items sometimes at reduced prices through a great ability to sniff out a sale. That also means sometimes I spend, by others standards, an excessive amount of money on seemingly inconsequential items. Many of you choose not to yet still act like asses - interesting. Mean “Looking for a rant” Joe ---
**Author:** ![birdgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/51bf81/32.png) [@birdgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/birdgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/56 "2003-05-12T21:58:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vandal \* > \*\*Jesus Fucking Christ, **birdgirl** , don’t give me this bullshit. Shorts with 1" inseams are extremely rare and jeans with low-cut waistlines are not the norm. > > You’re either (1) shopping in the wrong stores (2) wish you had the body to wear these clothes, or (3) jealous of those who do have the body for them, and all you can do is rant about it. > > If it pisses you off so much, stop shopping at brand name stores. Start going to Target, Wal-Mart, and K-Mart, and maybe you’ll have better luck. \*\* Jesus Fucking Christ, **vandal,** I do shop at the stores you mentioned. I found the offending clothes at those stores too. I’m only 27, and I am not ready to be wearing old lady clothes. But it only seems like I have two choices: teeny-bopper Brittney Spears clothes, or old-lady Martha Stewart clothes. By the way, I could easily wear those clothes if I wanted to, but that’s the whole point, asshat, that I don’t want to, yet that’s what comprises the majority of the clothes in most stores these days! No I’m not jealous, read my OP again and you’ll understand. That’s a really clever and intelligent way for you to dismiss my rant though.:wally Well, that’s why I learned to sew, so I can make my own clothes. However, I barely have time anymore to sew, so it would be nice to be able to find decent clothes at the mall. ---
**Author:** ![Skydive101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@Skydive101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skydive101)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/57 "2003-05-13T01:46:12Z")
_“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”_ - John F Kennedy ---
**Author:** ![vandal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/858c86/32.png) [@vandal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vandal)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/58 "2003-05-13T03:54:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by birdgirl \* > \*\*Well, that’s why I learned to sew, so I can make my own clothes. However, I barely have time anymore to sew, so it would be nice to be able to find decent clothes at the mall. \*\* Wow, you’re _that_ anti-fashion that you would actually resort to sewing your own clothes? You’re telling me that you seriously cannot find anything at all in any clothing store that you patron? ---
**Author:** ![Riboflavin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Riboflavin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riboflavin)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/59 "2003-05-13T12:21:19Z")
I don’t know, I don’t mind advertising things I’m interested in (though not clothing designers). I’ve got T-shirts from various museums, aquariums, historical sites, and the like that I paid for and which definately advertise something, but the money went for a good cause and they do a good job of conversation starting. I’ve also got a host of computer company T-shirts that I got for free from various places that I don’t mind breaking out, but I can’t imagine paying for one. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by birdgirl \* > Have you seen these skirts? They would barely cover your crotch when you’re standing…I can’t imagine what happens when you sit down. Hmm… I think you might have missed that the point of those skirts is that the guys **can** imagine what happens when you sit down, and tend to enjoy the process of imagining. I certainly have no trouble imagining all kinds of scenarios of might might happen when a pretty girl in a skirt sits down, stands up, walks down the street, lays on the couch, etc… ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770/60 "2003-05-13T14:57:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Riboflavin \* > \*\*I don’t know, I don’t mind advertising things I’m interested in (though not clothing designers). I’ve got T-shirts from various museums, aquariums, historical sites, and the like that I paid for and which definately advertise something, but the money went for a good cause and they do a good job of conversation starting. > \*\* [hijack] I’ve told my curator that we ought to make up T-shirts for our museum to give away which say, “I Got this at the XYZ Musem, Because I Didn’t Touch Anything!” [/hijack] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-pay-to-be-walking-billboards-and-other-clothing-rants/173770.md?page=4)