Kate Swenson wanted to kick off a girls’ trip in the right spirit last year. Which is how she found herself at the airport putting on a T-shirt that read “Ask me about my explosive diarrhea” in a cheery font.
She and the other 11 moms in her group had all bought embarrassing shirts for one another ahead of the January trip to Florida from Minneapolis. The only rule was that they had to wear them throughout the first day of travel, no matter how much the wearer blushed.
“I just remember this laughter and then, like, regret and then laughter again,” said Swenson, 43.
In a trend embraced by families, friend groups and pros from “Dancing With the Stars,” travelers buy outrageous, ugly, diabolical or just mildly embarrassing shirts for one another to wear for an agreed-upon amount of time. Usually the embarrassment delivery method is a T-shirt, but mesh crop tops also make appearances.
You can find videos of the exchanges across social media, and searches for “funny airport T-shirts” lead to scores of options from online retailers.
Members of Swenson’s group wore shirts declaring that they were “sweating in weird places,” sporting unusual body piercings from Claire’s or in need of “a huge cocktail,” with creative typeface making the final word suggestive.
She said they got high fives from flight attendants and laughs from strangers. Her social media post racked up views ― more than 83 million on Instagram by now ― and the friends felt “like celebrities” after being recognized on the cruise they took from Florida.
“We just wanted the fun to start right away,” said Swenson, an author, autism advocate and co-founder of a nonprofit that supports caregivers. “The best part of girls’ trips is laughing until your belly hurts.”
ugly t-shirts exchange in the airport the airport workers were hyping us up and a lady even said we were uplifting the atmosphere
and we fully have a 10 hour flight w layover in these #uglytshirt #thanksgiving #girlstrip
Aarya Patel wanted to do something silly and memorable with a group of friends, all college seniors, during their Thanksgiving trip from Boston to Nice last year. They exchanged shirts (hers said “I Pooped Today!”) and staged mini fashion shows before spending 10 hours on the plane.
“It was just like to set the tone for the trip,” said Patel, 22, who works for her family’s food business. “This is fun. We had finals and midterms during that season. Let’s just forget about all of that, let’s set a tone for the next four days.”
Her friend Aarya Dhru, 21, said they wanted options that were funny but that they could “actually wear and not get kicked off the flight.” Airlines can refuseto transport travelers wearing clothes that could be considered lewd or offensive, according to their contracts of carriage. Dhru’s shirt was a blinged-out, hirsute version of Santa Claus.
In a video she posted on TikTok, airport workers can be seen weighing in on their choices and doubling over in laughter.
“A lot of people came up to us and told us we were uplifting the feeling of the airport,” she said.
Paul Davis, a social media and online safety educator based in Toronto, has sounded a warning on his professional Facebook page about “hyper-sexual, sexually aggressive, derogatory” versions of the airport swap and has spoken to parents about it. He thinks it’s cute, but only “within the boundaries of good taste.”
He worried that questionable videos could haunt people and prevent them from getting a scholarship or job ― or that problematic clothes could result in real-life conflict. Jokes on shirts that mention weapons: never a good idea.
“I would stay on the side of caution,” Davis said. “I remind kids every day the internet never forgets, and because it doesn’t forget, it’s not very forgiving.”
The shirt exchanges have become a staple for content creators, often featuring a reveal, reaction and walk of shame.
If you saw us at the airport… we’re sorry
North Valley Group, a family with a following of more than 5.5 million people on TikTok and Instagram combined, mostly posts videos about relationship dynamics. During a recent trip from Los Angeles to South Florida, the members ― dad Curt Keables, sons Spencer and Ryan Keables, and son-in-law Cody Squires ― gave one another shirts that stuck to their family-friendly sensibilities. For the most part.
“Some of those shirts were pretty freaking weird though,” said Squires, 36. He picked one for his father-in-law that showed a flatulent frog and the phrase “Sometimes I Just Be Fartin’.” His own simply depicted a hairy chest.
They wore the shirts at the airport, on the five-plus-hour flight and while checking in at their hotel. Ryan Keables, 27, said the best part was the reactions.
“When you’re traveling, you’re kind of like in your bubble,” he said. “Seeing people see the shirts is just kind of fun. It takes them out of what they’re currently thinking about. Like, ‘What’d I just see?’”
Who had the worst shirt?
#uglyshirtexchange #airport #friends #stufftodo
RJ McLaughlin, 23, a content creator from New Jersey, meant to swap shirts at the Philadelphia airport with four high school friends on their way to Puerto Rico, but McLaughlin had to rush home for his wallet and barely made the flight.
They saved it for the trip home, gasping from laughter at the gate as each friend walked out of the restroom in shirts that bore a demented-looking ear of corn, a man-pig hybrid and a message inviting people to sign the shirt (at least one stranger did).
The friends got some double takes in the restroom, McLaughlin said: “A guy’s wearing a corn Minions shirt. How do you not laugh?”
It was the peak of spring break travel tension when they came home, with the government partially shut down, security lines stretching for hours and immigration agents at the airport in San Juan. The antics gave them a break from the stress.
“It ended the vacation on a good note,” he said.
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