Wife beater
Wife beater, also wifebeater, and sometimes abbreviated as simply beater, is the politically incorrect slang term used in the United States to refer to a tank top style shirt when worn as a sole, outer layer (as opposed to being worn as an undershirt). This style of clothing is often associated with the similarly derogatory phrase "white trash".
The origin of the term is from the (possibly baseless) belief that the shirts are worn alone predominantly by men who beat their wives; black tank tops were often worn by Ike Turner, a notorious abuser of his wife Tina, who may thus be the prototypical wife beater. In the 1980 movie Raging Bull, the main character, a boxer, is commonly seen wearing wifebeaters around the house, including in one scene where he beats his wife.
Use of this term in this sense (as opposed to its literal use) is relatively new, perhaps originating as early as the 1970s. Some people find the term extremely offensive, as serving to legitimize spousal abuse; while others consider it harmless or even humorous. The term has been denouced by the National Organization for Women, who say it trivializes domestic violence. "The implication is that wife beating is not viewed as sufficiently serious to lift it above the level of something that's OK to joke about," says Kim Gandy, president of NOW. Like all slang, its meaning is not known to all; so to those unfamiliar with the slang sense, wife beater will only mean a person who beats a wife.
In some locales, such as Australia, the term wife beater is used more specifically to refer only to a tank top that is white. This definition probably comes from the fact that most underwear singlets are white, and the stereotype of a wife beater is a man who sits around in his underwear drinking and watching TV.
Reference
- http://web.sunybroome.edu/~stoner_r/ENG111WifeBeater.htm "Wife Beater n.: 2 [slang) A Sleeveless, Ribbed White Cotton Undershirt"] by Booth Moore Press & Sun-Bulletin, January 13, 2003
Referenced By
Tank top
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