A sleeveless ribbed undershirt, typically white. The term was coined in There are several theories as to how it surfaced—one is that it originated in the wake of a horrific crime that went viral. The crime was committed by a man named James Hartford Jr. His character is violent, angry, and hits his wife—while wearing a sleeveless undershirt.
Regardless of the true origin of the term, white, sleeveless, ribbed tank tops took on the identity of a shirt worn by a beer—guzzling, Newport—smoking, pot bellied, abusive man. Should they be painted as impoverished, filthy, violent slobs? Of course not!
This is in no small part due to the increased exposure of domestic-abuse issues in the media. Over women every day are victims of sexual and domestic violence in the US. Feedback See Today's Synonym. Word of the Day. Meanings Meanings. This type of shirt is much more commonly referred to as a wife beater shirt, a wife beater tank top, or simply a wife beater. While today that term may be politically incorrect, there is a very interesting history behind the naming of this shirt. Here, we will discuss why it is called a wife beater and how it has evolved as a fashion garment over the years.
The fact is, there is not a single, agreed-upon story as to why these A-style tank tops are known as wife beater tank tops. There are several stories though about the origins of where the term comes from that span from the medieval times to the s.
While each story is slightly different about the exact origins, the idea behind all of them is the same. Over the years, this shirt has become a shorthand symbol in pop culture of drunken, slovenly men who either beat their wives or look like they do.
And, while domestic violence is a serious issue, this name for the shirts is referring to a despicable class of men, not condoning what they may do.
When Hollywood first started making movies in the early 20t century, they had picture shows before they had the ability to add sound. This is why the first big movies were silent films. To communicate the story and the character traits in these silent movies, Hollywood had to develop a shorthand for different ideas.
In , a man named James Hartford Jr. In the stories about his arrest and trial, which went national , there was a picture of Hartford in a scraggly and stained white tank top; beside the picture, articles would refer to him as "the wife-beater.
Around the same time, Hollywood steeped in further the link between male rage and white tanks. Post-World War II, filmmakers became transfixed with films about violent, abusive and outright dangerous men, and the tight white tank top became a regular onscreen occurrence.
Think A Streetcar Named Desire. Think Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Think Bonnie and Clyde. In each of those films, as the men started to get increasingly heated or upset, their go-to move was to rip off their shirts — only to reveal a white, sweat-stained undershirt. Even as they started popping up in almost every gangster movie, the shirts still hadn't earned the name "wife-beater" and were still referred to as "undershirts.
In , Valerie Steele of the Fashion Institute of Technology, told the New York Times she first started hearing "wife-beater" referring to the tank top in the late s.
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