Issue #33: The Self-Expression Study
|
💌 From the Editor’s DeskWelcome back to Work In Progmess, where we believe personal branding starts long before LinkedIn, usually in a high school hallway with questionable laundry habits. This week’s feature: a groundbreaking sociological study revealing that the average teenager’s graphic T-shirt may be the most honest form of self-expression ever created. Forget psych evaluations. Forget aptitude tests. Just check the laundry basket. — The Mess 📰Headline ShockerNEW STUDY FINDS TEENAGERS USE T-SHIRTS AS PRIMARY MODE OF SELF-EXPRESSION Researchers call it “fashion with emotional subtitles.” SPRINGFIELD, USA — Recent field research (conducted between the cafeteria and the bus loop) reveals that 97 percent of high school students use T-shirts as their primary form of self-expression. The remaining 3 percent wear hoodies year-round and therefore identify as “mystery.” Scientists believe the humble graphic tee is more than fabric. It is philosophy. A wearable business card for a person still figuring out their business. To better understand the behavioral patterns of these walking billboards of identity, researchers cataloged the most common species found in the wild. 🧬 Common Species and Their Natural Habitats
🧵 Transition: From Hallway to Boardroom Of course, the T-shirt doesn’t disappear after graduation. It just goes undercover. The slogans evolve, the fonts shrink, and the fabric gets a promotion. What used to shout your identity across the cafeteria now whispers it across a résumé. 👕 The Evolution of the Tee High school ends, but the slogans don’t. The cotton becomes polyester, the irony becomes subtle, but the message stays the same. “I’m still telling the world who I am, I’ve just upgraded to Helvetica.” The new uniforms include: LinkedIn headlines: “Passionate about synergy and meaningful impact.” Spotify playlists: “Mood: I’m fine, but also not fine.” Zoom backgrounds: “Plants mean I’m grounded.” We call this The Business Casual Era of Self-Expression. Symptoms include bio anxiety, color palette overthinking, and unsolicited career advice from strangers with ring lights. 🪑 From The Editor’s Desk
Every T-shirt, hoodie, and tagline is really asking the same question.
Who am I, and what font should I use to say it?
The truth is, the T-shirt phase wasn’t shallow. It was a prototype.
You were testing your messaging, learning your audience, and iterating on your identity. You were running a beta version of yourself.
Now it’s time for the official launch.
That’s what The Business of You is for, the part where you stop advertising your personality and start owning it.
Because self-expression is cute.
But self-awareness is scalable. 📩Until Next Time…Forward this to someone who still owns a “World’s Okayest Employee” mug. — The Progmess Editorial Team 🔗 Bitter End Once you have mastered self-expression, the next step is mastering self-presentation. 💁♀️ This week, we are teaming up with etiquette expert Presilah Davis, founder of Playfully Polite, who reminds us that good manners are not about perfection. They are about presence. Because how you show up should speak as clearly as what your shirt says. Find us on all the Socials! |
