WHY FIDEL CASTRO?

The real question here might be why not Fidel Castro? People don’t think twice about buying a Nike or Gap t-shirt, but what are they really supporting? Fidel Castro is something tangible. Why support a vanilla flavored corporation that probably has its goods made in third-world sweatshops, when you can wear something that says, “yeah, I might have fought the Baptistas too.”

Fidel Castro is a timeless symbol of revolution and the revolutionary lifestyle. Cohibas, Cuban rum, international weapons deals…..on the run with Che Guevara through the highlands…Fidel Castro has seen a lot in his days. He’s survived dozens of attempts on his life by the CIA (including the infamous exploding cigars). He’s fathered over 14 children around the world. He’s successfully staged a revolution and lived to talk about it. More importantly, however, Fidel Castro is a symbol, which does not necessarily equate to an endorsement of his actual persona. Fidel Castro the person is only a small part of the equation that makes this t-shirt highly fashionable.

ICON OR ICONOCLAST?

The question here arises whether Fidel Castro, as represented by this t-shirt, is more of an icon in his own right or whether his symbol is itself iconoclastic. This shirt is bound to get some puzzled looks. So what are people responding to? Do they take direct exception to Fidel Castro as a person, or is it a reaction to a general expectation of normality? Many people might have a nagging suspicion that Fidel Castro doesn’t fit their view of the world, which itself has been formed by symbols. The Gap, Carson Daly, and the Ford Explorer. A Fidel Castro t-shirt is for anyone who likes to invent their own categories and is willing to push the fashion envelope. A Fidel Castro t-shirt says you'd rather be out figthting Baptistas than sitting in your own suburban hell.

PRODUCT SAFETY

The general bewilderment that Fidel Castro manifests in some people is unlikely to create a problem for you, the t-shirt wearer. Extensive on the street research has proven that the Fidel Castro “Still Smokin’” t-shirt is safe to wear in public.