“All We Need is Love” and other bullshit printed on t-shirts

It's almost midnight and I am trawling the Poshmark app for, of all things, Spiritual Gangster brand tank tops. I’m so sorry.

My excuse is that they’re secondhand so I'm supporting the company less than I would be if I paid the original, exorbitant price tag. Most of them are sheer, flimsy pieces of fabric that seem almost purposefully designed to fit poorly, printed with appropriated symbols totally stripped of their context. But there's something about that “I lost my pretend virginity at Coachella and all I got was this lousy t-shirt" look. So pretty and shiny. . .

SG is fascinating to me because their merch is printed with phrases that were quoted at me in my teacher training and other especially whitewashed, ignorant, commodified pockets of the yoga community. Phrases like “All We Need is Love" and “Trust the Timing of Your Life” and “We Are All One".

I believe all of these statements to some degree. I could argue for their connection to yogic and/or Buddhist philosophy. But without context, as standalone principles taken to their logical conclusion, they are harmful.

I see a lot of romantic, sweeping statements on t-shirts these days about seizing the moment and letting go. I see them advertised on beautiful, thin, white women. I see yoga teachers and studio owners and students taken in by this image, participating in a culture of impulsive, escapist assholes who use the ideas printed on these shirts to excuse their poor boundaries and bad behavior. You can’t pay for food with love, saying you have a “Gypsy Soul" if you don’t have Romani heritage is racist, and if the timing of your life involves being manipulated and sexually assaulted, I don’t suggest that you just go with it and trust that “You Are Right Where You Need To Be".

The SG top that I have, that I adore, says, “Salute the Sun". No grandiose themes about life or trust or oneness, just that the sun is nice, let’s show some gratitude and not take things for granted, and it’s a nod to the surya namaskar sequences. I’d like to see a cute tank top with a pretty design and shiny gold detailing that says something like “Pause to Reflect On Your Choices” or “Practice Discernment”. Clarity, good judgment and taking responsibility for your actions may be less sexy than “Karma Made Me Do It” or “You Had Me At Namaste" but they're also less fucking stupid.

Not a real tarot card, actually.