How To Draw Girl With Straight Hair And Swag

Kathy Sierra demonstrates i of the problems with conference t-shirts.

When geek groups or events, such as technical conferences, user groups, etc, produce t-shirts as "swag" ("stuff we all get") for attendees, to sell to members, or to promote products such as software or online services, those t-shirts are often produced in straight-cut ("men's" or "unisex") sizes only. On the rare occasions that fitted ("women's") t-shirts are provided, but smaller sizes are usually available.

Kathy Sierra illustrates the first issue in this web log post, with the illustration shown to the correct.

Not having clothing that fits is yet another reason women experience unwelcome at geek events. This can be free t-shirts at conference, habiliment on auction at geek fan events, and clothing to exist worn by employees at trade shows.

Contents

• 1 Fitted vs straight-cut shirts
• 2 Sizing issues
  • ii.i Limited range of sizes in fitted shirts
  • 2.2 "Girls'" or "Juniors" sizes
• 3 T-shirt designs
• 4 Underwear issues
• 5 Professional implications
• half dozen Modifying t-shirts to fit
• 7 Things people say
  • vii.1 "But you can sleep in it"
  • 7.2 "Nosotros have women's XXL, so what are yous complaining well-nigh?"
  • vii.3 "Our t-shirts are unisex"
  • 7.four "We don't have women's shirts; we have standard shirts"
  • vii.5 "You tin can give it to your husband"
  • seven.6 "Our vendor doesn't offering the kind of shirts you want"
  • seven.seven "We tin't get fitted shirts in the colour we want/Nosotros can't impress this pattern on a fitted shirt"
• 8 Advice for t-shirt providers (event organisers, etc)
  • 8.1 Quick tips
  • eight.two Alternatives to t-shirts
  • 8.3 Spider web form patterns and anti-patterns
• ix Shirt vendors
  • 9.1 Recommended: fitted styles upward to 60cm/24in+ breast measurements
  • 9.2 Non recommended: fitted styles, just maximum chest <60cm/24in
• ten See also
• 11 References

Fitted vs straight-cut shirts

At that place are two main styles of t-shirts available: straight cut, often known as "men's" or "unisex", and fitted cut, also known as "women's".

(Note nosotros dislike the utilize of "men's" and "women'south" as labels, because it assumes that all women prefer one type of shirt and all men adopt some other; this is Gender essentialism. The term "unisex" is also problematic, because straight-cut shirts are far better plumbing fixtures for most men than for most women; the label implies that they fit any gender every bit well, but that's simply incorrect.)

A direct-cutting shirt has wide shoulders and a body which is most square. The side seams, descending from the armpit to the hem, are admittedly straight and perpendicular to the hem. The sleeves are usually cut loose, and are quite long when measured from the shoulder seam to the cuff.

A fitted-cut t-shirt has a curved side seam which comes in at the waist and goes out at the upper and lower ends, to make room for curvy hips and bust/breast areas. The shoulders are also cut narrower, and the sleeves are shorter and more fitted relative to a straight-cut shirt. The neckline may be slightly scooped in front.

A worked instance:

• When a woman (or anyone else) with a curvy body wears a straight-cut shirt, she has to cull a size that will fit her widest point. Say she has a 44" bosom: she volition probably choose a men'south L or thereabouts, which has a 44" circumference measured at chest level.
• It is as well 44" at the waist, meaning it will be baggy effectually this expanse. Since nearly women'southward clothing is fitted in this area, the largeness in this area will make her look fat, which many people detect undesirable. (This is problematic in other ways, of class. See also: Body image, Fat credence)
• Its shoulders are set nearly 20" apart, designed to be proportional for someone whose chest is measured around the ribs. On someone with a curvy bust the shoulder seams will await "dropped", i.e. will hang downwardly on the upper arms.
• The sleeves are quite long -- perhaps almost 6-8" -- and and so will descend to almost the elbows from the dropped shoulders. The sleeves will also exist baggy.
• A adult female with a 44" bust may have slightly wider hips, and and then this shirt (which is 44" all the way down) will fit tightly around the hips, and may curlicue upward and bunch effectually the waist because of this.
• Choosing a larger sized shirt to fit at the hips will exacerbate the bagginess at the waist, the dropped shoulder upshot, and the long baggy sleeves.
• Choosing a smaller size to reduce bagginess will make the shirt pull tight across the bust, and may go far bind uncomfortably at the underarms, or heighten the neckline so that the collar constricts the throat.

As you can see, having fitted shirts available for people with curvy bodies is important to their condolement.

Fitted shirts are commonly fabricated of thinner (more transparent, less sturdy, more than stretchy, cooler) fabric than straight-cut shirts. A woman who picks a directly-cutting shirt based on its measurements and expecting the aforementioned corporeality of stretch as a fitted shirt may find the shirt fits tighter than expected, and does non shed rut besides, which tin can be uncomfortable in a crowded and already overly warm room.

Sizing bug

Limited range of sizes in fitted shirts

American Clothes women's 2XL tshirt, laid over a men's L. The women'southward shirt is 41" in diameter, measured armpit to armpit.

Fitted t-shirts are mostly made in a narrower range of sizes than straight-cut shirts, and larger sizes (meaning annihilation over about a 42" chest/bosom, the equivalent of a straight-cut M or 50) are difficult to discover.

Example: Taking ThinkGeek'south sizing info every bit an case: men'south tshirts are sized from 36" chest measurement (size S) to 56" chest measurement (size XXXL). Women's tshirts are sized from 32" (Due south) to 42" (2X). The largest bachelor women'southward size has a chest measurement betwixt men's M (40") and Fifty (44"). A woman whose bosom measurement (which is not just the size of the underlying frame, but the breasts besides) is equivalent to a men's XL (48") will find that a adult female's 2X is half-dozen" too pocket-size for her.

Many women who prefer fitted shirts are thus forced to make an unpleasant choice:

• wear a too-small shirt, emphasising the breasts, or
• wear an ill-fitting straight-cutting shirt

Either of these options may make women feel uncomfortable, and can compound any discomfort they might already feel at being in a minority at an event or in a group.

In add-on to having a small-scale range of bosom/chest measurements, fitted shirts oft take issues with length: even more than direct-cut shirts, fitted shirts often assume that all wearers are the same height; also, many fitted shirts are cutting short, which can betrayal the midriff especially if the wearer is wearing low-cut pants.

T-shirt sizing also ties into Body image bug for many women in geek communities.

"Girls'" or "Juniors" sizes

Some briefing organizer, later learning that women want fitted shirts, ask their vendors for t-shirts in "girls' sizes." What they don't take into business relationship is that girl is a term of art to clothing makers, and the result is shirts where S fits a six year quondam, M an eight year old, and L a 10 twelvemonth former.

Conferences can so get the take-away impression that while women request t-shirts, when they're provided, they don't really want them—and then for the next conference, they don't bother to get any sizes besides men's.

Tip: when ordering shirts, ask for "fitted" or "women's" styles, non "girl's" or "juniors".

T-shirt designs

Sometimes, the printed design of tshirts tin can have implications for women.

For example:

• Text or images across the breast expanse of a shirt depict attention to that surface area. Many women are uncomfortable having attention drawn to their breasts in this manner.
• Logos where words (especially beautiful slogans) volition be hidden under the bottom bend of the bosom. Information technology may make some women uncomfortable, if they observe males squint at their bust all day. Are they trying to make out your company name, or pretending to exercise so in guild to have a gander? Plus, your visitor loses considering no one can make out your proper name.
• Vertical lines in the breast area will non appear straight up and downwardly, but will stretch outward with the bustline, leading to the impression that the wearer is "too fat for the shirt." If using boxes or vertical lines in the design, consider what it will look like stretched this fashion.
• The text/image itself tin have trunk-specific implications. For instance, a tshirt that says something about "the BIGGEST servers" or something similar that correct beyond the chest, would exist particularly horrible for a large-breasted woman to wear, while not being a problem at all for someone with small or no breasts.
• Some designs depict attending to nipples. For case, Ubuntu'southward "Karmic Koala" tshirt was a grey tshirt with black dots representing a koala's optics, which were placed so that they savage around the location of the nipples of someone with breasts wearing the shirt. Although the tshirt came in women's sizes, it reputedly sold poorly for this reason.
• Ill-plumbing equipment tshirts (run across section on sizing, above) can cause printed text/designs to stretch and fissure across the bust area. Some kinds of press are more prone to this than others. Large swathes of plasticky-feeling printing are the worst.
• Information technology should get without saying that women may be unwilling to vesture tshirts with sexist or sexualized letters on them.

Some ideas for less-problematic designs:

• All-over designs, or large designs not centred on the bust line.
• A small blueprint printed or embroidered in the upper left is a good understated/professional person choice particularly for company tshirts etc. (Notation, some women recall this makes their bust look lop-sided, and may prefer a centered logo.)
• Designs on the dorsum of t-shirts can be practiced, except for people with long hair. Be warned that having your logo/text too low may draw unwanted attending to the rear.
• Designs that minimise solid areas of press -- line art, for example -- will stretch better than large solid designs.

Underwear issues

Let'southward be up-front most this. T-shirt pick has important implications for women in relation to their pick of underwear. This might sound ridiculous, just can become a big bargain quite hands.

Here's a true story:

I once organised a hack day and delegated the ordering of t-shirts to another person. I ordered a fitted t-shirt in my size. The t-shirts we were getting were vivid orange with white printing. When I arrived on the mean solar day of the event, I found out that the vendor hadn't been able to provide my size t-shirt in orangish, so our t-shirt guy had decided to print my t-shirt -- and but mine -- in orange on white. They were like, "Surprise! You get a special shirt because you're the organiser!" Unfortunately that day I had worn a black bra, in the expectation of an orangish t-shirt. I was also going to be standing on phase and doing a lot of public speaking. My choice was to spend the day wearing a well-fitted t-shirt with my underwear showing, to wear one of the orange t-shirts in a size that didn't fit me, or to non wear the hack day t-shirt at all. I chose to wear an sick-fitting shirt, just felt uncomfortable all day when I should have been relaxed and enthusiastic near the issue I was running.

Women generally don't want to walk around geek events with their underwear showing, unless they're cosplaying or have otherwise signed upward for that sort of thing. Light coloured t-shirts, shirts with thin textile, and some other t-shirt design choices can put people in an uncomfortable state of affairs.

To avoid this:

• choose medium to night coloured t-shirts (nigh geeks seem to prefer this anyway)
• publicise your t-shirt designs in advance (which at least lets people know if they might desire to clothing a different colour underwear or an undershirt)
• don't leap "surprises" on people with regard to what you await them to wearable

Professional implications

Geek employers (tech companies, etc) often provide t-shirts in men's sizes only. Female employees who practice non wish to wear ill-plumbing fixtures t-shirts can experience various problems related to this:

• non being seen as a "squad histrion"
• lowered self-confidence when wearing the t-shirt
• appearing to be poorly groomed while representing the company (eg. at a trade prove or conference).

Any of these can lead to a perception that a adult female is less skillful at her job -- a very subtle grade of discrimination.

Modifying t-shirts to fit

In that location are many means women (or others with curvy bodies) can alter directly-cut t-shirts to amend fit them. Some of these tin can be done with minimal skill and equipment, while others crave considerable reconstruction and the employ of a sewing auto.

Organisations/events that provide simply straight-cut shirts sometimes advise women to change shirts to fit themselves. There are some issues with this, nevertheless:

• This puts an unfair brunt on people with curvy bodies and/or large breasts.
• Assuming women have the skill or desire to sew or be crafty is a case of Gender essentialism; although some women are crafty, others may take no interest in it.
• Modifying a t-shirt takes time and equipment which people may not have bachelor, eg. at a conference. Is the event also offering to provide sewing machines and a couple of hours before the conference begins for this to happen?
• Quick modifications (such as slashing off the sleeves and neckband, leaving unfinished edges) may have a "punk" expect to them that is inappropriate in a professional environment, or which some people are uncomfortable wearing for various reasons.

In brusque, although some women may enjoy "hacking" their t-shirts to fit, it's not reasonable to look them to do then.

Things people say

"Merely y'all can sleep in it"

Frequently, when women refuse an ill-fitting t-shirt, they are told they should take it anyway considering "you can sleep in it".

Slumber is a time for relaxing and existence comfortable. Does dressing in that shirt from the briefing where y'all felt unwelcome brand y'all feel relaxed and comfortable? No.

How many sleep shirts does anyone need anyhow? For those who do sleep in t-shirts, the sleep shirt (or the bumming-around-the-house shirt) is an honorable retirement for old favourites from the A list. In that location's normally a more than adequate supply without calculation dozens more than from every hack mean solar day, convention, or start-up promo.

And that's even assuming you sleep in a t-shirt at all. Many women adopt to sleep in a tank top, a long nightgown, or aught. Non that it's anyone'south business.

"Nosotros take women's XXL, so what are you lament nearly?"

Encounter "Sizing", above.

But in short: A fitted XXL is virtually likely not the aforementioned size (bore) equally a straight-cut XXL. You lot might think yous're providing a broad range of sizes for women, just they probably max out at nearly the equivalent of a men'due south M to 50.

Even if ane knows their female attendees beforehand, i should non succumb to the idea 'well no 1's that big. Men, also as women who have never dealt with vesture a large-chested female effigy, may have little context to the measurements such a figure can have. A woman with a 44" chest measurement does non necessarily "await the part" for a 5XL shirt.

And a number of attendees will probably prefer a looser rather than snugger fit, and look for a size larger than their personal measurements.

"Our t-shirts are unisex"

There are many things that are designed for men that women could use if they wanted to. For example, urinals are designed nether the assumption that the user (an assumed cisgender human being) will have a penis and be able to use information technology to urinate continuing up, but cis women and other people without penises can larn to use them. Still, we don't usually expect them to.

"Unisex" t-shirts share similar properties: even though they can technically be worn past anyone, they were designed to be well-nigh comfortable for men (who are assumed to not have breasts or large hips), and are physically and socially uncomfortable for many women.

In curt: labelling doesn't equal reality.

"We don't have women's shirts; we have standard shirts"

All points in the previous detail, but with a worse choice of linguistic communication. Saying that women's shirts aren't "standard" or "normal" shirts is exactly the bulletin you don't want to send -- that men are the standard and women are unexpected, unusual, singular.

"You lot can give it to your hubby"

My reply: "Maybe you prefer my husband would be the one who's really working here?" This is no different than asking if my husband can come to the telephone to speak with the bank, or whatsoever other "money related issues".

"Our vendor doesn't offer the kind of shirts you want"

See the listing of suggested vendors/t-shirt brands below. You should be able to find someone who tin can impress on Hanes, Gildan, Port Authority, or other such pop blanks. Appealing to limitations in what your vendor offers sends a message that yous do not value female person employees/participants/guests enough to take their needs and wishes in account when choosing a vendor in the outset place.

"Nosotros can't become fitted shirts in the colour nosotros want/We can't print this design on a fitted shirt"

So you lot're saying your graphic pattern is more important than having your event be welcoming and inclusive to women? Go your priorities straight.

Advice for t-shirt providers (event organisers, etc)

Quick tips

1. Make certain t-shirts and other clothing are available in "fitted" styles.
2. Don't brand the fitted/women's t-shirt a special/different design or colour (pinkish! gah!).
3. Have the fitted t-shirt available in every bit broad a range of sizes equally possible, at least up to the equivalent of a directly-cut 40 (usually about 48"/120cm). A list of vendors is provided below.
4. Vendors may have more flexibility if you contact a person rather than going through the automatic process on their website.
   1. Ask vendors if set-up price for multiple similar products tin be waived if it'south going to be the same design on all of them. (For example, if offering two styles of t-shirt, a fabric tote bag, and a water bottle, the vendor might exist able to waive the set-up cost for the 2d style of t-shirt and perhaps the cloth tote bag.)
   2. Enquire vendors if you can get book discounts beyond unlike styles of a similar product such as printed t-shirts. (For example, if you take 74 straight-cut shirts of brand i, 24 fitted shirts of make 1, and 10 shirts of brand 2, the vendor might be able to offer you lot a pocket-sized per-item discount every bit if you had ordered 108 items of the same type.)
   3. If a vendor does not accept stock in the requested size/color, ask if information technology's possible for you every bit the client to provide shirts to be printed on.
5. Inquire attendees/members to pre-register their t-shirt size, rather than guessing at how many of each size to society, to ensure anybody gets a well-fitted t-shirt.
   1. Decide on your vendor early on, so you tin can requite the size nautical chart that this vendor uses, rather than making people gauge which size goes with their measurements.
   2. Treat identifiable individual shirt sizes as moderately sensitive information; store who gets what size in a more than private identify than making everyone sign upward on the wiki.
   3. It may seem tempting to enquire attendees/members for their measurements, instead of their named shirt sizes. Resist the temptation: it is orders of magnitude more than fraught for anyone who feels the furnishings of body size/shape discrimination. As well, not everyone has that information readily bachelor or the means to get information technology easily.
6. When dealing with vendors, order women's sizes (for developed women), non sizes for "girls" or "juniors".
7. Consider offering alternative swag (see beneath).
8. Blueprint your registration form or t-shirt lodge form to provide as much information equally possible without making assumptions virtually what people want. (meet below)

Alternatives to t-shirts

1. Offering unlike, non-t-shirt swag: eg. bags, insulated travel mugs
2. Offer a few styles of shirt that all overlap the average range, so that you avoid the trouble of "this is the shirt, and this is the fatty people'southward shirt" or "this is the shirt, and this is the women'southward shirt": in that location are several shirts that the average briefing attendee is in too
3. Offer a t-shirt and other goodies as a paid additional actress, so that it's not positioned as a badge of membership that 'almost everyone' (except women and people with less usual bodies) gets, but instead is something that a smaller number of really interested folk get
4. Colored or printed badge lanyards

Notation that most clothing has some sizing problem: hats are not i size fits all, for example, despite what many lid vendors would have you believe. (Developed head circumference varies in nearly the 50cm–65cm/20 inch–25 inch range.)

Web course patterns and anti-patterns

Some notes on how to design your issue signup course, t-shirt society course, or whatsoever yous're using for people to request t-shirts.

1. Make ordering a t-shirt optional. Practise non require someone to choose a t-shirt in guild to sign upwards for your effect or whatsoever.
2. If you collect gender on registration form (for instance for demographic purposes or for planning accommodation), don't assume people's t-shirt style preference based on their gender.
3. When offering fitted and directly cut t-shirts, don't refer to them as "women'southward" and "men's", but merely say "fitted style" and "straight-cut style" or something along those lines. Some women adopt straight-cut t-shirts, and some men prefer fitted t-shirts, and they shouldn't be made to feel as if that preference is wrong.
4. Provide a decent range in sizing. Bear in listen that not all your female guests will exist slim, or desire the smallest size they tin fit in. Bear in heed that women's measurements and body types do not necessarily correlate. Cull range based on bodily measurements.
5. Provide sizing charts. "XL" ways very trivial, especially in women's sizes, where information technology can vary by as much as 12"/30cm depending on vendor. Your shirt vendor probably provides sizing charts, simply if not, you tin can make your ain by measuring the shirts. Lay them flat on a table, mensurate from armpit to armpit, and double the measurement. As well measure the length from shoulder seam (near the collar) to the bottom. Make a tabular array showing these measurements for each size t-shirt you provide. Like shooting fish in a barrel!
6. Show the t-shirt design in advance, if possible. This will assist people determine whether they really want 1 or not, eliminating wastage or perhaps (if your pattern is really cool) encouraging more people to lodge one. If you can't show the design (perhaps because information technology isn't finalised yet) at least say something like, "A black t-shirt with our logo on the front, in full colour" or any. Fabric color is perhaps the most of import thing to annunciate.
7. Allow people to enquire questions about t-shirts or add together comments to their order, via a freeform text field on your registration class.

Shirt vendors

Recommended: fitted styles up to 60cm/24in+ chest measurements

This list contains vendors who have at to the lowest degree 1 fitted mode with a half-chest (armpit to armpit effectually the front end of the torso) measurement of at least 60cm/24in. If shirts are going to exist printed it is recommended to contact the finishing company earlier bringing in the shirts, as certain brands are more suitable for screen press or straight-to-garment digital press.

• Biz Collection (Australia) have a wide range of women's/fitted sizes and colours. OSDC used them in 2010 and their t-shirts were great.
• Sarah Mei recommended these shirts past Port Potency, which were used at the AlohaRails briefing, saying they fit better than American Apparel. They come up in women's sizes ranging from 32" to lx".
• Hanes make diverse t-shirts for custom press apply, some of which come in larger sizes. SL04 is one recommended women'south fashion.^[ane]
• Open Source Bridge was able to provide t-shirts ranging from women's XS to 3X and men's S to 5X at the 2011 conference. The t-shirt blanks used were Gildan 2000/2000L. The women's 3X size measures 28" across the front.
• Printfection makes a wide range of women's sizes, upwardly to 3XL which is 27" across the front.
• Bella Canvas Relaxed Five-Cervix - They offer up to a 2XL, which has a bust measurement of 26" across the front. In particular, they are oftentimes more than flattering than coiffure-necks on women with ample busts.

Non recommended: fitted styles, only maximum chest <60cm/24in

• American Apparel, who make the tshirts favored by many conferences, sells women's tshirts with a chest size range from 26" (XXS) to 46" (XXL) total chest. Notation, nevertheless, that their XXL is roughly equivalent in size to a men's One thousand, and so the fitted mode merely fits smaller women. Also, American Dress has been criticized for their use of sexualized and sexist advertising, too every bit misogynist statements made by its former CEO (Dov Charney).
• Continental Wear makes very nice women's shirts in cotton and bamboo blends, which are used by some custom tshirt printers. However, their largest women's size is but 45–50cm.

See likewise

• T-shirt challenge

References

1. ↑ http://geekfeminism.org/2010/10/07/the-t-shirt-claiming/#annotate-8166

Source: https://geekfeminism.fandom.com/wiki/T-shirts

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