Recently I was wandering through North Grand Mall, trying to find a present for my roommate.

I entered Gadzooks hoping to find a new trendy and humorous T-shirt for my friend. In the past, my friends have bought some funny shirts at this teen-focused store. A blue T-shirt with “Titanic Swim Team” on it has always been a favorite of mine.

While walking around the racks of clothes, I looked into the T-shirts bins and one in particular caught my eye. It wasn’t because it was funny or even cute. Frankly, I was offended.

The T-shirt had a cartoon-style drawing of a couple sitting on opposite ends of a sofa. The guy was zipping up his jeans while the girl, in a short skirt with legs spread, looked exhausted. The caption to this colorful cartoon was “We just did it.”

My first response was disapproval. I couldn’t believe a T-shirt with that causal statement about sex was mass produced.

But then I thought about that T-shirt all weekend. I complained to my friends about it. I wondered if I would ever wear a T-shirt like that. And if I did, what message would I be sending?

This new trend in offensive humor is seen on television and now has invaded the clothing industry. These T-shirts speak to teens in a real way. It gives them a chance to rebel against their parents, while claiming it’s all innocent fun.

At least that’s what my sisters say.

A couple of months ago on a home visit, my 17-year-old sister showed me what she had bought on a shopping spree with her friends. After a few colorful tanks from Old Navy, she modeled a T-shirt with the words “I kick ass” printed on it.

“So where do you plan on wearing that?” I asked.

Then my sister explained how my parents said that it was OK that she bought the T-shirt with her SuperValu cash, but there were some restrictions.

She explained how she isn’t allowed to wear the T-shirt to church, school, work, or on family outings. So basically my sister paid about $20 for T-shirt to wear to bed.

But that’s just one example. Young girls, between the ages of 13- and 15 year-olds are frequently seen wearing T-shirts labeled with the Playboy bunny logo or the word “bitch.” My question is simple; why are teens wearing these shirts?

Clothing is a way to express yourself daily. A T-shirt is a billboard informing people of your views. If you wear a shirt proclaiming you were an intramural champion or a supporter of legalizing marijuana, I say wear it.

In this case, I think these T-shirts are sending the wrong messages. The shirts reenforce stereotypes and sexist jokes.

Young girls shouldn’t be wearing T-shirts proclaiming “Boys suck!” or “I like boys” when they just stopped playing with Barbie dolls.

These T-shirts say sex is nothing more than a meaningless act. It’s not empowering young females. The girls are learning at a young age that being offensive is funny. They began to believe that they are nothing more than a sex object.

But it’s hurting them, one T-shirt at a time.

Michelle Kann is a senior from Garnavillo, Iowa. She is editor in chief of the Daily.