Buying A Melanin Poppin Shirt? Read This First
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Contents
- Introduction
- What Does Melanin Poppin Mean?
- Who Can/Cannot Use the Phrase, Melanin Poppin and Why?
- When Can This Phrase Be Used?
- Where Can I Buy a Melanin Poppin Shirt?
- Can I Use the Phrase to Make My Own Shirt?
- What are Some Creative Melanin Poppin Phrases?
- Where is the Best Place to Sell Melanin Poppin Shirts?
Introduction
We've heard the term melanin poppin many times and seem it on t shirts. But what does melanin poppin mean, who can use the phrase, when can it be used, how can I make a melanin poppin shirt and more! We answer all your questions about the popular and your favourite melanin poppin shirt!
What Does Melanin Poppin Mean?
Melanin Poppin is an essence of coolness, empowerment, pride, and excitement of black poeple. It stems from the word melanin and the slang, "poppin". In order to fully understand what the phrase means and how it came to be on your favourite t shirt, we have to break down the meanings of melanin and poppin.
According to Webster Dictionary, melanin stems from the Greek word melan which means “black” or “dark”. Scientists have discovered that melanin is described as a pigment that gives human skin, hair, and eyes their color. According to the New Journal of Science, Herodotus was the first to describe melanin as a skin pigmentation after he described the darker skin of Persians, Ethiopians, and Indians in relation with Greeks. In short, Herodotus discovered that everyone has melanin but the more melanin a person has in a specific area on their body, the darker the area; ie. “dark-skinned” people have more melanin in their skin than “light-skinned” people.
Poppin (not to be confused with popping which is used to describe a burst or an exploding sound) is a slang term that can have various meanings. According to Urban Dictionary, poppin could have 1 of 5 meanings depending on how it is used:
Meaning 1: Poppin could mean getting something started. An example of this in a sentence is “Hey, let get this poppin.”
Meaning 2: Poppin could mean that you feel good about yourself. An example of this in a sentence is “I do what I want because I am poppin.”
Meaning 3: Poppin could be used to asked a person what is happening or what is going on. An example of this in a sentence is “hey, what’s poppin?”
Meaning 4: Poppin could be used to describe something as exciting, cool or good looking. An example of this in a sentence is “that party is poppin.”
Meaning 5: Poppin could be used to describe the act of ingesting something through the mouth. An example of this in a sentence is “I was poppin pop tarts all night yesterday.”
So which meaning of poppin is associated with melanin poppin?
In the beginning, we mentioned that Melanin Poppin is an essence of coolness, empowerment, pride, and excitement of black people. This means that the best definition of poppin associated with melanin poppin are meanings 2 and 4.
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Who Can/Cannot Use the Phrase Melanin Poppin and Why?
Now that we have established where the word comes from, it is appropriate to establish who can use the phrase.
Based on the definition of Melanin Poppin, an essence of coolness, empowerment, pride, and excitement of black people, it is appropriate that the phrase is only used by black poeple. This may be confusing to some as melanin can be found in every one. Let’s break down 2 major reasons why it is appropriate only for black people to use this phrase.
Reason #1: The Phrase Was Created By Black People for Black People
Let's face it, black people always find ways to make something cool, hip and exciting and the phrase melanin Poppin was just that. It was a way for the black community to describe all the cool things associated with being black. This is different from other phrases where there was no such label and others were free to use or enjoy the benefits associated with that specific phrase.
Recently however, many sites have white people models wearing “Melanin Poppin” t shirts and this has stirred up a lot of controversy.
Well, this isn’t the first time main stream media has taken something and diluted it’s meaning, especially after it has been made cool and popular by black people. Let's not forget jazz, hiphop, and the diminishing of “Black Lives Matter” with “All Lives Matter”, only to mention a few.
So what’s the big deal? The problem with a non black person using the term Melanin Poppin is that it diminishes the intent of the phrase. It gives the phrase a confusing and an unintended meaning. Losing the original meaning of this phrase means losing another piece of black culture and heritage. Something that black people fight for on a daily basis.
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When Can This Phrase Be Used?
Melanin poppin can be used anywhere at anytime, in the right context of course. It can be used when you see your fellow black sister looking absolutely drop dead gorgeous. It can be used when you wear an outfit that make you look good. It can even be used to describe yourself as a form of pride or empowerment; eg. “My Melanin is Poppin”.
There is no limit as to when to use the phrase. You can be as creative and versatile as you want when using it.
Where Can I Buy a Melanin Poppin Shirt?
Nowadays, melanin poppin shirts are sold by anyone everywhere. How do you know which ones to buy? Generally speaking, the best melanin poppin shirts to buy are those from stand alone sites (ie not Amazon, not Etsy, not Teepublic or any other community-based t shirt platforms). The reason is that melanin poppin shirts were made by black people for black people therefore it is only appropriate to buy a melanin poppin shirt from a black owned business or store. The top melanin poppin shirts on the web right now are from My Black Clothing, My Pride Apparel, Melanin Is Life, and Power in Black.
Shop for melanin poppin shirts, sweaters and more at My Black Clothing. Use discount code MYMLNN10 for 10% OFF
My Black Clothing is a black owned clothing store that empowers black people, men and women, with their unique tribal print apparel. Their shirts and sweaters have been worn by many curly hair influencers on Instagram and have been featured on Essence.
Buying your melanin poppin shirt from any store not represented as a black owned store defeats the purpose of the shirt itself.
Can I Use the Phrase to Make My Own Shirt?
As of the date of this post, the phrase Melanin Poppin is not trademarked or owned by anyone so, yes anyone can use the phrase to make his/her own shirt.
If you do plan on selling a melanin poppin shirt, remember to do something unique with the phrase in order to stand out. There are millions of melanin poppin shirts out there in a very saturated space. Creating something that represent your audience gives life to the phrase.
Take for example these melanin poppin shirt & sweaters by My Black Clothing.
What about this grabs your attention? Yes, it is the print of the word melanin. As you can see, it is carefully designed with tribal patterns to represent the culture of the people associated with the word melanin. By doing this, it is giving the phrase a suitable but unique meaning for it’s audience.
The beauty about this is that, the phrase works on any merchandise. You can put the phrase, on mugs, sweaters, leggings, pins, bags, and more!
What Are Some Creative Melanin Poppin Phrases?
Recently, many people have found ways to recreate the popular phrase, melanin poppin’.
Here are a few creative ways Melanin Poppin has been used:
- Melanin Drippin
- My Melanin Is Poppin
- Poppin Melanin
- Curls Poppin
- Melinated Poppin
- Honey Drippin Melanin Poppin
- Melanin is My Super Power
- My Melanin Is Not A Crime
…and the list goes on.
The possibilities are endless.
Try it out, create something unique and different with the phrase and see how people react to it.
Where is the Best Place to Sell Melanin Poppin Shirt?
Melanin Poppin apparel can be sold anywhere. The best online platforms to use to sell your shirt is Shopify. Other platforms such as Etsy and Amazon are very saturated and due to recent controvery, people don’t tend to trust sales from those platforms.
By selling your shirts on Shopify, you can create a brand that meets your needs and caters well to your audience. It also gives you the freedom to create without any boundaries.
Here are some benefits of Shopify as per Orange Mantra:
You don’t need any website development skill to get your website up and running. The platform offers everything you need including the software and hosting to build a successful site.
The platform has many professional templates that meets your creative needs. You can use their theme and alter them in any way shape or form to meet your needs.
The best part about shopify are the app that can be added onto the website. The apps can automate a lot of your website processes. The most popular apps are those that boost sales and conversions.
Another benefit of Shopify is the security and reliability it offers. Security is essential for an online business because it deals with confidential personal and financial information of the customers. Similarly, it must always be available online. Both these features are taken care of with this hosted solution that takes care of upgrades and maintenance.
Being a globally hosted solution, Shopify has a reliable infrastructure along with optimized hardware and software. This gives the platform a super fast loading speed and the e-commerce made on it load in a matter of seconds.
As a complete platform, Shopify has the marketing edge too. The basic version offers SEO features along with advanced e-commerce analytics. In addition to these, it offers more marketing tools such as custom gift cards, discount coupons, store statistics, targeted email marketing, and more.
In the modern world, shopping is done via mobile device. Shopify themes are mobile responsive, which means that it can be used to avail mobile-optimized stores. There is even a shopify app on iPhone and Android apps that can be used to manage your store.
Shopify experts are available 24/7 via email, live chat, or phone to resolve any queries and keep the store running flawlessly at all times.
With such amazing features, Shopify deservingly emerges as one of the best choices for e-commerce store development. Sellers can have their online stores created on this platform in as little as a day.
If Shopify is not for you, you can also try other low cost website makers. Wix is another personal favourite although it does take some time to get used to.
So there you have it! Everything you need to know about Melanin Poppin Shirts and all their glory!
Drop us a comment if we missed anything!