The original t shirts of the World War II era were standard issue, and they were intended to be used as underwear. The tees were distributed throughout the United States Army and Navy. Of course, the tshirts were intended to be worn underneath other articles of clothing, but it became common to see soldiers wearing them alone when they were doing heavy labor or just relaxing. This possibly led to the modern take on the tshirt as a staple clothing item.

One of the main reasons why the original t shirts that the soldiers wore during WWII became so popular was because of the hot climates that they were often stationed in. The Americans back at home saw pictures of their boys wearing nothing but these cool tshirts and pants, making them more acceptable to the general public. The July 13, 1942 issue of Life magazine even featured a picture of a soldier wearing one of the standard issue tshirts with the heading "Air Corps Gunnery School."

At the end of WWII, one thing had stuck - the popularity of tees in civilian life, and not as undergarments. The first printed tshirt, according to the New York Times, was for the 1948 presidential campaign of New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, which said "Dew It for Dewey." And once John Wayne, Marlon Brando and James Dean had all worn their own original t shirts on national television, they had become very acceptable.