When I found Hiro Clark’s new t-shirt in black with the text, “Run Like You Stole Something” on it in my size, I snatched it up as soon as I could – not only because of the shirt’s cheeky text, but because the LA-based designer only manufactures a mere twelve of each limited-edition style.
Why was I so excited about such a simple cotton-jersey crewneck tee? Because, honestly, wearing it makes me feel as though I uniquely stand apart from all the other black t-shirts out there that are free of such a bold command printed in white text.
And judging by the smiles, laughs, and even looks of charmed confusion I’ve caught from those who have looked at my shirt, it’s fair to say that I’ve accomplished my goal to charismatically stand out by wearing this top.
But the true thrill of this shirt doesn’t come just from the amusing writing on it, or the fact that only twelve were made; when I first saw the shirt, and whenever I have worn it thereafter, the tee has urged me to reconsider the meaning of the word “steal.”
“Steal” has such a negative stigma tied to it:
When someone physically steals something from a store, the thief hastily (or slyly) grabs an object, and then runs away from the scene of the crime – and as a result, we consider him or her a criminal.
In this sense, we’re thinking of the word “steal” literally, in its mundane, pedestrian form, leading us to look down upon these types of thieves and the acts they commit.
But let me tell you something – we are all thieves.
The style of thievery we might commit on a daily basis, though, isn’t the type of act to be considered a crime or to feel guilty for…
Here’s what I mean:
- The barista at Verve Coffee on Melrose in LA, or the bartender at Aria Wine Bar in New York, might have found you attractive and therefore couldn’t stop looking at you. In that moment, you stole her eye.
- Maybe you walked into the office in a deep red skirt that hugs your curves perfectly, and Bob in financing couldn’t help but drool. There, you stole a glance.
- Perhaps you were a knockout standout in the dance show, and your moves were sharper and bolder than the rest of the dancers. On that stage, you stole the show and the spotlight.
- In baseball, the name of the game is to score runs – and to do so victoriously, you’re bound to a steal a base or two in the process.
- And in the game of love – whether you’ve just met, or you’ve been dating for a week, or you’ve been married for a decade – sometimes the things we do and say lead us to steal someone’s heart.
So, as I said previously, we may not all be criminals in the classic sense of the term, but we do steal on a regular basis, whether we know it or not. In this regard, we shouldn’t run away from the things we steal, (as my Hiro Clark t-shirt might suggest). We must run with our stolen properties, and embrace them – because ultimately, the spotlights, the glances, and the hearts that we steal are all innate to our capacity as human beings. Our daily acts of thievery make us real.
www.hiroclark.com / available online and at Equinox
