I do not know how to share a country, never mind a room, with Trumpists

December 6, 2024 4:01 PM

The question, in a nutshell, is can you help me find some form fitting women's t-shirts to make my feelings clear?

I feel slightly ridiculous posting this, just to be clear. I'm a grown woman.

So, I'm in a French class. After the election, when everyone in the room including the teacher was kind of just staggering around in varying states of looking into the chasm of hell, one student floated into the room like it was the best day of her life and was loudly delighted about it. It felt like death itself walked in.

She seems oblivious to my trying to avoid sitting next to her and I just...don't know how to handle it. Being silent is grotesque and demeaning. Being confrontational is a burden to others and potentially demeaning to me. And the instructor, who looked as horrified as everyone else. It's an intimate class--ten people.

This is important: we're going to do it again, almost as a group, because there is French 2 and we are all signing up, and I want to, too.

I want some t-shirts that represent my feelings because of the above conflict between doing nothing and feeling like I need to shower for an hour after going home, and making my life a series of endless battles that only result in my not learning French.

Such sentiments as: 'Trans rights are human rights' 'Planned Parenthood is a necessity' 'Human rights are human rights' 'My body my choice'

I'd like them to be original and look good and feel good because I am feeling quite shitty enough. I look awful in unisex t-shirts, and also awful in super clingy t-shirts! So I need something cut for a woman's body that hangs loosely.

You can really pick any shitty Trump take and I'm on board with rejecting it. All of them.

I'm not looking for confrontational unless it's especially funny or clever. I dislike bumper stickers that say anything that come close to 'you're stupid' or 'fuck you'.

On the other hand...I might be willing if it were smart enough.

I don't want to hear about how I shouldn't do this. I don't care. It's something or I don't take French. And that's another thing they take in addition to the sleepless nights and the rage that has no home.

So jfc this is is stupid and I know it but hey can someone point me to some t-shirts?

posted by A Terrible Llama to Grab Bag (23 answers total)

I don't have any ideas for the shirts themselves, but may I recommend a quote a friend used on a poster for the women's march: "My mama don't like you, and she likes everyone."

Because it made me smile.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 4:04 PM on December 6, 2024 [9 favorites]

Best answer: This social justice dandylion shirt from Blue Platypus comes to mind.

For general ease of expression, may I suggest having a canvas bag that holds your class supplies that you properly kit out with a bunch of patches and buttons, battle jacket style? That way it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing, and you could turn it inward to your body if you were carrying it somewhere you felt unsafe. Also, a lot of smaller groups don’t have the budget for good shirts but do make buttons and patches so your sentiments could be more encompassing.
posted by Mizu at 4:09 PM on December 6, 2024 [11 favorites]

My personal testimony for Black Lives Matter
posted by phunniemee at 4:12 PM on December 6, 2024 [6 favorites]

I have one similar to this shirt and I think it covers everything nicely. (PS the RedBubble shirts I've bought run pretty small, sizing up is a good idea)
posted by Eyelash at 4:27 PM on December 6, 2024 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I don't have a good source for the slogans, but maybe look to see if the printer uses District T-shirts. I feel bad in unisex or "lumpy" in form-fitting tees, and I almost happy-cried the first time I saw myself in event swag from District. I've seen a range of online design places use their stuff as a base, and I bought a bunch of their blanks just to use on the daily - can recommend the v-neck and the perfect tri long sleeve hoodie specifically.
posted by BlueBlueElectricBlue at 4:49 PM on December 6, 2024 [3 favorites]

Stevie Brocksom’s trans Safe Spaces shirts.
posted by instamatic at 4:52 PM on December 6, 2024 [4 favorites]

Best answer: It's a French class. Adopting the iconography of the Revolution may serve you well.
These are redbubble designs and come in femme cuts. The "Relaxed Fit T-shirt" may be closest to what you want, but there's a whole style menu to look through.

Cette machine tue les fascistes

Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité ou la Mort

Famous image with the soldier, peasant and phryge: Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité ou la Mort

Delacroix, Liberty Leading The People

Jacobin Club seal: Vivre Libre ou Mourir

A jaunty little dancer singing a jaunty little song about executing aristocrats: Ah ça ira


Women's March on Versailles

Let's get this bread

REMEMBER THERMIDOR

(For your inner theatre kid): Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise
posted by Pallas Athena at 5:13 PM on December 6, 2024 [27 favorites]

You may like these from Anna Liz Heart
posted by paradeofblimps at 5:56 PM on December 6, 2024 [3 favorites]

I love that idea! Here's a nice one from the 1968 protests that meshes well with language class traditions.
posted by Don Pepino at 5:59 PM on December 6, 2024 [7 favorites]

Was coming in to suggest that etsy has plenty of places that will personalize t-shirts. Annalizheart doesn't seem to have the style of T that you want, but you may be able to talk to her about the style and sentiments you're looking for. Otherwise, there's a ton of sites on etsy with women's T shirts.
posted by BlueHorse at 6:31 PM on December 6, 2024 [1 favorite]

I have a vintage 2016 shirt with a low quality image of Richard Spencer getting punched and large bold letters saying Fuck Racism, Punch Nazis.

I’m considering a new one that just says Your President is a Rapist.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 8:44 PM on December 6, 2024 [3 favorites]

Transfigure Print Company is a trans-owned indie printer in Michigan, and they have some amazing Protect Trans Kids t-shirts.
posted by matildaben at 9:49 PM on December 6, 2024 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Also, and, too.

And Transfigure Print Co looks really great. You could grab contemporary slogans off protest signs from contemporary French protests and get a custom shirt made.
posted by Don Pepino at 7:06 AM on December 7, 2024 [1 favorite]

The “loudly” in your description of this person’s post-election affect made me suspect that she is at least in part trying to stir things up, to elicit a reaction from you and everyone else. Maybe just for the lulz, maybe to be able to proclaim victimization, maybe to be able to twist the knife further. Especially if (as it sounds like) she is trying to cozy up to you despite whatever signs of distaste you’re trying to send… she could be doing it BECAUSE it makes you uncomfortable, trying to see how far she can go to provoke you.

Which is just to say that a shirt like this — a confrontation, even nonverbally — might be just what she wants. If she makes some sort of comment on it (either faux-naive [especially appropriate term for a French class I suppose] or disdainful) you might want to have a response ready so you don’t give her what she’s looking for.
posted by sesquipedalia at 7:50 AM on December 7, 2024 [1 favorite]

I clicked that Redbubble link, unfortunately. I did not need to learn of yet another fabulous land of shopping opportunity vistas today, but here we are, and I am now officially mesmerized. I must try to tear myself away now or I will blow the whole weekend with this. But before I go, this French guy has tons of cool vintage stuff he's modified to suit pretty much your exact need. All of it seems to be available in both French and English. Here's his "anarkitties" one in French, and here in English.
posted by Don Pepino at 8:00 AM on December 7, 2024 [2 favorites]

I have one that says “leave trans kids alone, you absolute freaks.”
posted by Pax at 8:00 AM on December 7, 2024 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: Cette machine tue les fascistes

Oh my god oh my god that's the one

I also like the buttons/patches smaller items idea and can look around locally for some...I'm not always in slogan/t-shirt mode but something portable and more flexible would be nice.

“leave trans kids alone, you absolute freaks.”

I love that one

I ordered Cette machine tue les fascistes and Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité ou la Mort from upthread and one in English from Amazon. The thing is I need it by Tuesday or Wednesday AM. I live in a liberal town and could go shopping except I'm sick.

If anyone has other ideas or leads let me know, I'm probably going to need a lot of these to get through. And I would love something guaranteed to be here.

I do have a 'Women's Sewing Circle and Terrorist Society' t-shirt and a 'Persevere Day' t-shirt that I got years ago from this Etsy shop. I'll wear the former (70's feminist slogan, the latter is from the suffragettes) if I can't get something more on the nose.

It's depressing how hard it is to get non-unisex t-shirts because I'm only 5'4 and booby so I have to buy large and they hang over my ass and I look like a tree stump and again, I'm depressed enough.

If she makes some sort of comment on it (either faux-naive [especially appropriate term for a French class I suppose] or disdainful) you might want to have a response ready so you don’t give her what she’s looking for.

I was trying not to say this but: she's really stupid. I think I would just say, "You seem stupid" because while I don't want to make the class uncomfortable, if I'm backed into a corner, I really don't know what else I can do and I will somehow find a way to live with having made people uncomfortable. Maybe I'll learn to like it.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 9:17 AM on December 7, 2024 [5 favorites]

I think I would just say, "You seem stupid"
Oui, mais en Francais.
posted by Don Pepino at 9:29 AM on December 7, 2024 [5 favorites]

T'es stupide, ou quoi?
posted by mareli at 1:42 PM on December 7, 2024 [2 favorites]

I just bought this and love it

dont be trash
posted by tiny frying pan at 3:00 PM on December 7, 2024 [2 favorites]

Thank you for asking this question, OP, I just stumbled across an excellent charming gift for a loved one. Best of luck with your French lessons (an opportunity to look at classic cookbooks/menus!).
posted by winesong at 4:16 PM on December 7, 2024 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I signed up for the next French class you guys.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 3:53 PM on December 9, 2024 [2 favorites]

Four Seasons Total Landscaping?
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 8:17 PM on December 9, 2024