The traditional white cotton undershirt has become an accepted thing because there just haven't been many other options for decades. If you want a layer between your body and your button down......you have to buy a white cotton undershirt. There is a big issue though. People think visible white cotton undershirts don't look good. They come across as sloppy and basic. They are a style killer.
The Test
We wanted to see what a group of women thought of the white cotton undershirts. We brought them in, served some champagne and showed them guys on Tinder who were wearing white undershirts and those who weren't. We captured their reactions.
What is astounding is that most people have no idea that this is the impression that their undershirt is leaving. They are doing what functionally works for them, but really hurting their style in the process. I don't want the video to be perceived as us making fun of guys. Let's not forget that not too long ago I was in this same boat. Below is what I was wearing when I started at P&G! And that wasn't THAT long ago. ha. Rocking the white undershirt.
White is the Problem
I've had guys tell me that they found a great undershirt. It fits. It pulls down low. It has nice material. When they had a white button down on you could clearly see the undershirt underneath. Even "nice" white undershirts are a problem.
I remember I saw a very high executive at P&G speak last year. He had a thin white button down shirt on and you could clearly see his white undershirt. The talk was in front of a lot of people, so I was getting text messages from friends in the audience appalled that someone at this level would look like this. He could obviously afford any undershirt on the planet. He just wasn't aware that the undershirt he had on was so visible.
I actually emailed him later that day. I asked if he'd be interested in a few samples of Sloane. I really have no shame. ha. I really want to help guys. It is hard for me to see something like that and not at least offer to help. I sent him the undershirts and he tried them. He was loyal to a premium competitor of ours and respectfully said that he doesn't plan on switching. He didn't quite understand that the premium competitors undershirts, while being very comfortable, were visible and getting noticed by most people he came into contact with.
It's Not Just on Tinder. It's Everywhere.
Sloane's goal is to help make guys look their absolute best. Have them feel confident in every situation and pretty much dominate at life. We're not in the business of blatantly calling guys out. We do want to make sure guys are aware of how they're coming across to other people. I don't know any guy that would want to be described like how the women in the video described the Tinder guys.
I was oblivious to the impression my undershirt was making until just a few years ago. Over the years with Sloane I've become hyper aware of undershirts and heard many stories of what the white undershirt says about people. I've had people come up to me who were interviewing people for a job and the visible white undershirt was actually something they brought up when they debriefed candidates! Yes. It's not just women. It's EVERYONE.
The guys talked about how the white undershirt made the candidate look tacky and unprofessional. The job was for a finance position where dressing well is critical. The guys didn't want to bring someone in who couldn't even look the part. Why would you want to have your undershirt be a part of any conversation at work? I don't think the undershirt was the sole factor in whether the candidate got the job or not, but it was 100% part of the evaluation conversation!
The bottom line is you want to look your best. You don't want an undershirt to be part of any conversation by women, co-workers, potential future employers......ANYONE. There's a better way.