At a time when fashion serves as a powerful form of self-expression, it's easy to overlook the significance behind the logos and symbols we wear. In the past few years, a number of fashion brands have been caught in controversies over the symbols or styles they chose to include in their clothing lines.
For instance, in 2014 Zara faced backlash for a children's shirt resembling outfits worn in concentration camps, complete with blue and white stripes and a yellow star, which the brand claimed was inspired by Western films.
Similarly, Gucci was criticized for a sweater design that the public thought highly resembled blackface, prompting the brand to apologize and remove the item from stores.
When major fashion brands make such mistakes, it’s understandable that unaware customers might inadvertently do the same.
TikTok user Micah (@1voct), who works at a vintage clothing store, went viral after sharing a story where he warned an unsuspecting customer about a shirt he was wearing.
As Micah recalls, one day, while working at the store, he saw a group of teenage boys walk in. Among them, there was a boy wearing a T-shirt with white supremacist symbols on it.
Judging by the group’s demeanor and appearance, Micah suspected the boy didn’t know the message he was conveying with his T-shirt.
"There was a boy wearing a Skrewdriver shirt,” says Micah. “It had some pretty blatant symbols on it, and I had a feeling that perhaps he didn't know what it was."
Skrewdriver was a British punk band known for promoting white supremacist views. In the early 1980s, the band adopted far-right ideologies, using their music to spread racist and neo-Nazi messages. This shift turned Skrewdriver into a symbol for white nationalist groups, leading to widespread condemnation and controversy. The band's leader, Ian Stuart, died in a car crash in 1993 at 36.
As Micah listened, he overheard one of the boy's friends ask where he got the shirt, and the boy replied that he found it at Goodwill and thought it looked cool.
"So I walked over and said, 'Hey, I'm not sure if you know this, but I overheard you, and that band is a white supremacist, Nazi band,'" Micah recalls.
Just as Micah suspected, the boy had no idea what those symbols signified—or who Skrewdriver was.
“He looked horrified,” says Micah. “He's like, ‘Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I didn't even know what it was. I just thought it was a cool shirt.’”
The TikTok creator stressed how crucial it is to do a little research before you snap up a band T-shirt.
“If you're gonna wear a band shirt or something that you don't know, just look it up, make sure you know what it is because, realistically, if you were walking around with a [expletive] Skrewdriver shirt with a [expletive] sun wheel on it, you are likely to get your [expletive] beat by somebody at some point,” says the TikToker.
@1voct ♬ original sound - 1vOct
The video garnered almost 3,000 comments, with users mostly reiterating that same message.
“This is why ppl should just wear shirts of bands they're fans of or at least know 1 song,” shared one commenter. “Even if you don't know the band when you buy the shirt, it takes 3 min to just look up 1 song. Cmon now.”
“I only wear band tees from bands I like. why? saves me from situations like this,” wrote another.
“Being a fan of black metal I ALWAYS have to do research before listening or buying anything. Sucks there are bands like this,” stated a third.
We’ve reached out to Micah via Instagram DM for comment.
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The post ‘Please Google the band’: Man calls out customer who bought T-shirt from Goodwill. He didn’t realize what these symbols really were appeared first on The Daily Dot.
