Author Topic: What do you call it? (Read 14640 times)

Sassafras · « **on:** October 21, 2006, 10:51:03 AM »

(This was first written on Mar 23, 2006 on our Proboards site.)

When Mick and I were at a show in York, PA, I was wearing what I would call a "Tank Top". (If the straps were smaller, it would have been called a "Baby-Doll".) A customer commented about the shirt I was wearing to her friends and referred to it as a "Wife-Beater". Well, I was shocked. I must have gone through 5 different shades of color in my face before I took on a conversation with the lady. She thought I was joking when I told her I had never heard of that term before and that I didn't appreciate the mentioning of that term either. She finally understood I wasn't kidding.

Well, that's my story.

I would like to hear what others have to say about this issue. Please share your thoughts.

Here is a blog I read about this controversial name for a shirt along with some comments:

Perhaps I am callous and unfeeling and reprehensible, but I have a hard time getting upset about the term ?wife-beater? when it refers to sleeveless undershirts. Some people have a much easier time. It?s an issue right now in Boston, where a flier advertising a sale on ?wife-beaters? has provoked some outrage. (In case you?re unclear on what a wife-beater looks like, Wikipedia may jog your memory: ?Countless drunk and disorderly domestic-abuse suspects who were arrested on the TV show Cops wear such shirts.?) Advocates for domestic-violence victims are condemning the flier, and yes, I suppose the word could be left out of advertisements. Anway, the guy who approved the flier sounds remorseful and unusually candid about his stupidity: ?It?s a slang expression, but we should have known better not to use it. I am supposed to read every word. Sometimes it?s busy or I am lazy. We are working on a retraction.?

?Posted by Tim Nudd

February 22, 2006 | Permalink

Comments:

This is so timely in that I just had a conversation about this over the past weekend when a woman noted that I was wearing a "tank-top." This struck me as an odd (and somehow feminine) name for the "sleeveless undershirt" I was wearing. However, when I stopped to think of a better sounding term, nothing came to mind but "wife-beater" which we both agreed was at it's heart a pretty unsavory name.

Is there a real name for these items?

"Sleeveless-Undershirts" isn't quite right since they're missing more than just sleeves and are often worn without an "overshirt"... but, jeez, tank-top just sounds wrong. If we shorten the name to just "beater" maybe over time the wife aspect of the equation will wither away... I dunno...

Posted by: Patrick Bennett | Feb 22, 2006 11:38:32 AM

?Shirt Robert Dinero wore in Raging Bull.?

Naw. Too long.

;-p

Posted by: makethelogobigger | Feb 22, 2006 12:23:54 PM

Six years ago, during a Foot Locker commercial shoot, my art director told the stylist to put one of the actors in a wife-beater shirt. The client overheard this, and immediately approached the art director. "What did you call that?" "It's a tank top, a wife beater, you know, slang," the AD replied. The client, in her infinite wisdom, made it known to everyone on the set that if people are calling tank tops "wife beaters," there would be no tank tops in her commercial (despite the fact that the tank top in question was a Reebok tank top sold in Foot Locker stores--we were promoting product!). So all the actors ended up wearing t-shirts instead.

Posted by: sixtoe | Feb 22, 2006 12:31:34 PM

The PC and correct term for a garment of this design would be an "A-Shirt", which refers to the shape of the cut. Just as a "T-Shirt" would make a "T" shape an "A-Shirt" makes an "A" shape.

Posted by: WendySue | Feb 22, 2006 12:55:13 PM

When I was growing up, they were called "Guinea Tees."

Posted by: Salvatore J. Salvatore | Feb 22, 2006 3:50:30 PM

I've always called them tank tops, whether on women or men. I never wear them, though, since they don't do the best things with hairy underarms.

Posted by: Derek | Feb 22, 2006 4:02:01 PM

"ginny" tee shirt was the term back in the day when these were the uniform of the urban wife-beating Italian man.

Posted by: | Feb 22, 2006 5:02:03 PM

Undershirt works for me. A t-shirt is a t-shirt. If it isn't a t-shirt, it's an undershirt. (A tank top, to me, is the woman's version, worn as a top on its own. A man's undershirt should be UNDER something ... besides beer stains.)

I don't think you are insensitive or callous, but I've never cared for that "wife beater" term myself. If, by chance, a person isn't familiar with it, it DOES sound pretty tacky -- even shocking (I mean, think about it). I'd never use it in an ad -- even in an attempt to be funny. The image is just too uncomfortable.

Posted by: Cheryl | Feb 22, 2006 7:28:11 PM

I was never into the term "wife-beater"... for me it was always "ginny tee" - that is until I almost got slapped in the face by a girlfriend for using it (she was wearing the silly thing - girlfriend beater?)

as innocent/ignorant as it was I can't remember being so embarrassed when it was pointed out to me

never again will that term come from these lips... tank top will just have to do

Posted by: Heathen6 | Feb 22, 2006 9:07:18 PM

People just need to chill. Everyone's overly sensitive.

everyone knows it's called a 'wife-beater.' It's colloquial, I'm sure the writers not a misogynist.

I just moved back to the US after living overseas for a while, and I can tell you, the ridiculous tensions Americans have about stupid things is plapable.

Everyone's afraid of getting sued, or saying anything off-color that 'might' offend someone. If it's not said with an intended mean-streak, so what. Get over it.

Let's not become a nation as boring as dry white toast.

Posted by: Leno | Feb 22, 2006 9:48:49 PM

We british call then vests but let's not bicker.

Posted by: tony | Feb 22, 2006 11:42:55 PM

I recently overheard a woman asking the sales person at a retail store if they had wife-beaters. I think the salesperson was caught off guard.

Posted by: jacob | Feb 23, 2006 12:23:33 AM

HAHA wife beater thats great

Posted by: Brit | Feb 23, 2006 10:54:12 AM

LOL, its not only a wife beater! but the official lesbian T...

Posted by: MPR | Feb 23, 2006 12:03:39 PM

Lost in all this is that Jerry "Ellis" Elovitz of "Building 19" runs by far the funniest, most irreverent ads in the Boston market. He is willing to take a chance and when it fails, he takes ownership of it, rather than weaseling out. Lots of advertisers could learn from this, particularly about crisis management. He also does a lot for charity, a real mensch.

Posted by: Rick in Duxbury | Feb 24, 2006 9:12:31 AM

Rick is right.
I was back in Boston this past weekend and caught the hubub.
Not surprised it was Bldg 19. And not surprised with the grace and speed Jerry Ellis made ammends.

Bldg 19 is a local legend and this won't hurt their biz at all.

Whether you use the term or not, it doesn't belong in an ad. It's too touchy.

Posted by: Joe in Philly | Feb 24, 2006 7:25:31 PM

Does anyone know where the original term "Wife-Beater" started? I was trying to explian it to a british buddy when he asked me what I was waring and I replied "a wife-beater" and jeans........... LOL! He had no idea what I was talking about. I didn't know exactly how to explain it although I knew it had something to do with the Italian "wife beater".

Posted by: Ange | Mar 14, 2006 4:39:45 PM

Source: http://adweek.blogs.com/adfreak/2006/02/its_a_sleeveles.html

Sassafras · « **Reply #1 on:** October 21, 2006, 10:53:05 AM »

Re: What do you call it?
? Reply #1 on Apr 11, 2006, 4:39pm ?

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Wife Beater?

Never heard of it. I agree, I find it very offensive. When I sold decals, and I had about everything that was printed, I wouldn't sell any that were racial, ethnic or female abusive. Any joke about wife beating actually leaves me breathless.

This is not a laughing matter. There are those that would say, "Hey, you need to get a sense of humor." Well, to you people, I have one but there are just simply certain things we shouldn't laugh at and one of these is anybody abusing anybody.

There are way to many funny political jokes to tell without laughing at people in dire straits.

Mick

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Re: What do you call it?
? Reply #2 on Apr 11, 2006, 7:46pm ?

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I totally agree, Mick. There is no humor in abuse. There is no humor in the hardships of others. I find it offensive when other people laugh at situations that are abusive, racial, and degrading to others. It just is not right.

Being a MisFiT is about doing what is right. What I like to do is tell that person making the joke or laughing at something of this nature is that I simply don't agree with them. That usually starts a conversation with the person. In the end, they either reconsider the joke and agree with me or they get aggressive and walk off. Nonetheless, the original conversation starts other conversations with other people about the offensiveness of abuse, racism, and/or bad humor. I like to let people know that it is OK to question the stupidity of others.

Sass

User Name · « **Reply #2 on:** April 11, 2008, 12:24:24 PM »

Around here, it's commonly referred to as a "bitch-beater"

Smokebender · « **Reply #3 on:** February 12, 2009, 08:04:34 AM »

Quote from: User Name on April 11, 2008, 12:24:24 PM

Around here, it's commonly referred to as a "bitch-beater"

That's really bad. I've never heard that one until now.

Truthsayer · « **Reply #4 on:** February 18, 2009, 04:43:21 PM »

What do you call it?

If it covers your tits or covers your ass, who gives a sh*t what it's called? If it feels comfortable, wear it.

Too many people worry too much about stereotypes, especially if they feel a need to spread it to the clothes they wear.

Smokebender · « **Reply #5 on:** March 01, 2009, 11:56:46 PM »

Quote from: Truthsayer on February 18, 2009, 04:43:21 PM

What do you call it?

If it covers your tits or covers your ass, who gives a sh*t what it's called? If it feels comfortable, wear it.

Too many people worry too much about stereotypes, especially if they feel a need to spread it to the clothes they wear.

Who cares? We all should. This ones a no brainer isn't it? I don't want to

but on this one I could.

Truthsayer · « **Reply #6 on:** March 02, 2009, 03:53:37 PM »

Whether I wear a "tank" top, a 'tee' shirt, a 'guinnea' or a 'wife beater', it does not make me anything more or less than who I truly am. If I feel comfortable in what I wear and it doesn't reflect any other personality that isn't me, and I like who I am, then I am not the one with the problem. It's not the clothes you wear, it's the stereotype that others have attached to it, which, when you think about it, is only a fools game. "Let me wear my designer spagetti strap shirt, lest I be arrested for unlawful nudity.'

Smokebender · « **Reply #7 on:** March 02, 2009, 11:20:27 PM »

All fine and truthy. All I'm saying is it's not cool to give an item a name that's a put down on women.

Truthsayer · « **Reply #8 on:** March 03, 2009, 01:16:46 PM »

I agree, but the only way to fight it is to not follow the "norm" which would make it official if we do. Let the fools be fools we don't have to follow.