Koreans Wearing English

I've written before about how funny it seems to me that so many Korean people wear clothing with English words on it, beyond just the big brand names like Levi's, etc. Spotting particularly funny expressions has become something of a hobby for me here. I barely notice the NYPD caps anymore. But I'm really entertained by the nonsensical and over-the-top cutesy.

A few examples:

At a palace in Seoul this afternoon I saw a middle-aged man wearing a t-shirt that said "Life has no meaning without rock and roll." He was sporting Elvis sideburns, so clearly he takes this slogan seriously.

Then there was the woman in the subway station wearing a pink sweatshirt. On the back was an image of a mouse and under the image appeared these words:

In your careers
you will meet many people
All are significant
They deserve you allantion (no, that's not my typo)


Later, on the street, I saw a woman wearing a t-shirt that said, simply, in very large letters: THIS IS REALLY HARD

Sometimes the layout of the text adds a special something.

A t-shirt that read
FASHION MAKES US HIGH with a upward pointing arrow

Another that said
EXTRA
VAGANZA

And one on a little girl:
popularity
most in
the convex ?????

and one more:

IdobelieveIwill
laugh and reminisce


I'm also fond of the cutesy accessories. As with the clothing, I don't notice most of them anymore, but I was amused by one of my students' pencil case, (my students are adults in their 30s, 40s, and 50s) which said "groovy chick". I think I may have had a similar item around 1972.

This picture shows one of my students, whose English nickname is Jenny. I asked her if I could take her picture because she was wearing this sweatshirt with a message about my hometown of NY.