Everybody had their favorite novelty T-shirt in high school. Mine said "Pitch a tent in the woods," and had a graphic of two pairs of feet hanging out of a tent. It wasn't actually mine, that kind of thing wouldn't fly in my house, but still. Most of us parted ways with clever sayings, vaguely suggestive graphics, and the whole novelty T-shirt thing when we left those halls of education. Lately, I've noticed guys wearing them more and more, and I myself have even picked up a few. But that childish, teenage connotation still lingers, and you have to ask yourself "Do I look like a douchebag right now?" frankly, you might.
The world of novelty T-shirts isn't completely black and white, though, so let me explain. There's a fine line between wit and stupidity, lameness, and lewdness. Take for example, the Beyoncé-popularized "Kale" T-shirt. Kale's meteoric rise to culinary fame made it a prime target for a shirt. But, the design of it, which plays off of Yale University's logo T-shirts, makes it kind of funny, there's some thought, some wit. Then there's Kentucky for Kentucky's "Y'all" T-shirt, which does the same thing. Both are smart-ish takes on the novelty idea. There's no stupid slogan, no call-to-action, just a smirk at a respected institution. These are what we'd classify as "okay to wear." Anything that shows you have a sense of humor beyond dick jokes is safe. Sort of.
I say sort of because there's more to think about here. What you've got to consider with novelty T-shirts, is where you're actually wearing them. Have a "creative" office? Your dress code is probably pretty lax, and you could certainly get away with wearing a T-shirt. But, think twice. I have done this in the past, and despite compliments from one of my cooler colleagues, it felt out of place. In a strange way, it felt like I was mocking the entire building. I'm sure I wasn't the first guy in the world to wear a clever shirt in the office, but it would at least be the last time I did it.
So here's the deal, you can wear your witty shirt. But wear it when and where you can get away with it (nowhere remotely professional). Save it for the beach, the gym, the bar, your home, wherever. As long as you're off the clock. Now, go forth, novelty enthusiast, and wear your T-shirt.