The rise of the SHAGWORM shirt
Would you put on a SHAGWORM shirt? When ResEd introduced the brand new neighborhood names final month, a number of college students had been fast to level out that the brand new neighborhood acronym – which used to spell “STANFORD” – now spells “SHAGWORM.” College students additionally found that SHAGWORM might be scrambled into an unsavory counterpart: “WHORGASM.” A number of Fizz posts, a Stanford Each day video interview and a whole lot of scholar laughs later, the SHAGWORM/WHORGASM discourse has reached a brand new stage: merchandise.
Zane St John ’26, a vendor of unofficial SHAGWORM/WHORGASM merch and resident of Sequoia (Neighborhood S), purchased the web site “shagworm.com” simply minutes after discovering the brand new neighborhood acronym.
“I didn’t even know what I needed to do with it but,” St John stated. “However I really feel like shagworm.com might be helpful for one thing.”
After a pair hours of web site and e-commerce set up, he created an internet storefront able to taking orders. He then designed a SHAGWORM and WHORGASM emblem utilizing the official Stanford type information, taking inspiration from free neighborhood merchandise given out earlier within the 12 months. Now, virtually a month later, St John says he has obtained dozens of orders in merchandise that includes his logos and made lots of of {dollars} in gross sales.
“That is completely not about turning a revenue,” St John stated. “For me, that is about offering this expertise to folks, turning one thing that folks discuss into one thing folks can really work together with.’”
Whereas shagworm.com started by promoting shirts, enterprise has expanded to new types of merchandise. College students can now put their notebooks in SHAGWORM backpacks, wash their palms with SHAGWORM hand cleaning soap and even put on WHORGASM boxer briefs. In line with St John, the positioning has obtained two orders for WHORGASM boxer briefs up to now.
Hyperion (Neighborhood T) resident Isaac Nehring ’26 owns one such boxer briefs. Regardless of his apprehension about whether or not or not he would obtain his merchandise, his bundle got here within the mail only a few weeks later.
“I imply, I really like SHAGWORM, however I actually love WHORGASM,” Nehring stated. “SHAGWORM is nice, that’s the mainstream, however to have WHORGASM characterize this positive establishment is simply so unserious.”
Different college students disagree.
“WHORGASM I’m a little bit bit much less favorable for,” stated Marshall Kools ’24, a member of Aspen’s Neighborhood Council. “However I undoubtedly like SHAGWORM, I feel it’s good.”
Kools designed official merch for Aspen (previously Neighborhood A) earlier this month for the neighborhood’s all-campus occasion “HEATWAVE.” His design, a pale yellow shirt with a chest pocket design that includes a daring “A” and the identify “Aspen,” was given out to college students free of charge on the occasion. Attendees had been additionally given paint and brushes to customise their shirts.
“I’m fairly closely biased in my resolution, however the Aspen stuff is best,” Kools stated. “The Aspen stuff has a novel design.”
The SHAGWORM merch bought on the positioning is predicated on an earlier neighborhood system shirt given to college students in the beginning of the 12 months.
“I undoubtedly assume it’s an excellent begin, however I’d prefer to see some innovation in there,” Kools stated.
Whereas Kools stated he has seen a number of college students sporting his Aspen shirt within the weeks following his occasion, the previous neighborhood system shirts have been much less standard. Many college students stated they not often put on their official neighborhood merchandise in public. Nehring minimize up his neighborhood shirt to put on to the health club.
A number of college students contacted by The Each day expressed displeasure with the acronym SHAGWORM and its ties to the criticized neighborhood system. Some college students had been sad with the connotations surrounding “shag” and “worm,” noting that “shag” has a sexual connotation in some circumstances and “worms” usually gross folks out. Others responded that they didn’t actually care concerning the neighborhood system both method. Aspen resident Mckenna Beck ’23 stated she supported the identify SHAGWORM however prefers “WARMHOGS.”
“I’d put on it as typically as I put on the present Stanford neighborhood merch,” stated Isaias Martinez ’26 on whether or not or not he would purchase SHAGWORM merch. “By no means.”
Nonetheless, different college students imagine the emergence of SHAGWORM may convey good tidings for the neighborhood system and campus at massive.
“Folks like SHAGWORM lots. In addition they share a whole lot of the enjoyment within the weirdness and the funniness and the appreciation of the coincidence of all of it,” Nehring stated. “In that sense, it makes folks a little bit happier concerning the neighborhood system and lightens up the dialog about one thing that’s been fairly controversial up to now.”
