Why not stir the pot with a cheeky little message?
If you’re not familiar with the long and storied history of celebrities wearing petty graphic tees, Julia Roberts would like a word.
Back in 2000, the actress met and fell in love with her now-husband, cinematographer Danny Moder, while filming the 2001 film The Mexican. The only problem? Both were in relationships with other people. Roberts was dating Benjamin Bratt, and Moder was married to makeup artist Vera Steimberg. As the saying goes, all is fair in love and on-set romances, and the couple got together, moved in, and embarked on what would become one of the longest-standing marriages in Hollywood, complete with three kids and 22 years (and counting) of wedded bliss.
But before the couple could live happily ever after, they needed a divorce. And almost two years into the relationship, negotiations between Moder and Steimberg were still ongoing. Not one to wait around, Roberts reportedly resorted to a little DIY fashion and some well-placed paparazzi pics to send a message. Wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with “A Low Vera,” Roberts stepped out for coffee and was snapped chatting on her mid-aughts flip phone with her Sharpie marker handiwork laid out for all to see. For what it’s worth, the look—a slicked-back bun, coat, and distressed jeans—stands the test of time on its own, but it’s her spicy graphic tee that deserves a place in the Fashion Hall of Fame.
Thus, the power of wearing a silly little catchphrase was cemented. Sadly, in the decades following, the pull of the graphic tee waned. After a few years of mid-aughts ubiquity, Urban Outfitters and Abercrombie stopped stocking sassy baby tees. Celebrities and their stylists found new ways to make a splash with their street style. Even corny slogan super-fan and Punked host Ashton Kutcher eventually set aside his Von Dutch hats and love of pranks for more serious pursuits (although he did leave us this video of Justin Timberlake for posterity).
After its heyday, the pop culture influence of a trifling tee seemed all but forgotten—that is, until now. As with most fashion trends in 2024, it begins and ends with Rihanna. Seven years after her last album release, the Fenty founder stepped out last month in a Conner Ives T-shirt dress spelling out “I’m retired” in big, bold letters to the delight and disappointment of fans. Was this a not-so-subtle public warning to stop hassling RiRi for music updates? Or was it an arch joke from the most unbothered pop star to ever live? Either way, the move rivaled even the wittiest graphic tees of yore and ushered in a second golden age of biting catchphrases and sartorial in-jokes.
Once you know to look for it, you’ll start seeing this trend everywhere. There’s Hailey Bieber’s controversial “nepo baby” top, worn last year as an unambiguous response to the Hollywood nepotism discourse. There’s also the “Jesus was a Carpenter” script modeled by Sabrina Carpenter at Coachella—a winking nod to the uproar around her “Feather” music video being filmed in a church. That’s not to mention the horny “I Told Ya” tennis tee from Challengers that’s been making the rounds on cool kids this summer…when they’re not wearing Charli XCX’s increasingly unhinged bootleg brat merch, which, of course, includes many a bratty baby tee. Even Drew Barrymore got in on the trend, bridging the gap between old and new by sharing the story behind her brazen “my boyfriend is out of town” top from the 2003 Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle premiere. According to her TikTok, she bought the shirt with her then-boyfriend The Strokes drummer, Fabrizio Moretti.
At its peak, these expressive ensembles represented all that was good (and bad) about the pot-stirring TMZ era of celebrity culture. Whether or not you think Paris Hilton’s shirt telling everyone to “Stop Being Poor” is in bad taste is beside the point. It’s a genius one-liner in the same vein as her iconic Simple Life quotes, campy “Stars Are Blind” lyrics, and entire DJ career. It’s also reportedly a Photoshop hoax, though that didn’t stop Hilton from addressing it on TikTok. Paris Hilton is in on the joke of being Paris Hilton, and we love her for it.
Similarly, Britney Spears throwing on a “dump him” tank top in the midst of a media frenzy surrounding her personal life is some Grade-A shade. Victoria Beckham’s “Fashion stole my smile” T-shirt harkens back to her Posh Spice days and hits even harder after the Beckham documentary. Personally, I will never stop searching for the meta-petty “J’Adore Dior” tee Lucy Liu wears in the episode of Sex and the City in which Samantha steals her Birkin bag.
Years after her “Vera” moment, Julia Roberts told Oprah, “I stand by my T-shirt.” Cleary, so does the culture. If the snappy T-shirt renaissance is any indication, the feminine urge to tell us how you really feel with clothing is very real. So give into your lesser impulses this summer: Whether you work it out on the remix like Lorde and Charli with a bratty baby top or pull a “dump him” dupe from the Spears archives, nothing says summer like some light fashion controversy. Thankfully, the cheeky fashion T-shirt is back and better than ever for your (and my) enjoyment.