WIFE BEATERS
By Gigi
Nope!!! Calm down…I’m not talking about abusive husbands or boyfriends (although that is where the term originated). I’m talking about underwear…basically, an undershirt that is a tank tee. Where did a name like that come from—to label what is basically an under garment? The first person I knew to coin that phrase was my baby brother, Clay. He mentioned it in 1994; Clay said that whenever he watched the cop shows on TV, the men were generally arrested for spousal abuse, and once the cops drag them out of their homes, all they wore was a dingy, white tank tee and they were always drunk. So he started calling them ‘wife beaters’. I chuckled at first, but as time went on, I thought it misogynically rude and inappropriate.
The Wife Beater shirt…is an insulting slang that has taken off like wild fire. The term is demeaning and is often associated with ‘white trash’, more specifically, Italian-Americans. The origin of the term is a stereotype that the shirts are worn predominately by men who beat and abuse their wives. Wife beaters are also popular in the street gang culture of the United States and hip-hop culture. The National Organization for Women (NOW) says 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.” stated Kim Gandy, President of NOW. And I agree.
The ‘Wife Beater’ shirt is now a part of pop culture; teenage boys use the term and think it’s cool. And being that the term (slang) is commonly used and relatively widespread, it has recently been accepted into Oxford English Dictionary. I tried discussing this issue with a colleague at work and he came back at me with, “Well it’s not only a wife beater, but the official lesbian tee.” I was rendered speechless. He then muttered loudly while walking away, “Perhaps I’m callous and unfeeling…maybe even reprehensible, but I have a hard time getting worked up about a sleeveless undershirt. I have a record of fighting for women’s causes, but I must draw the line to this issue. Wife beaters is a publicly recognized name for this particular product—and the companies (Hanes, Fruit of the Loom, Jockey, etc.) had no role what so ever in it’s naming. Now don’t get offended, but it would be as if blaming a…let’s say, security dog breeder for naming the types of dogs he breeds, “nigger-chasers”. He said as he backed up away from me, because I wanted to slap him. “There are some names that although they display poor taste, are still the name recognized by the consumer. And when it comes to matters of finance, what sells is what counts in our capitalistic culture.” He finished.
I hated to admit it, but he wass absolutely right— the arrogant bastard!!!
By Gigi
Nope!!! Calm down…I’m not talking about abusive husbands or boyfriends (although that is where the term originated). I’m talking about underwear…basically, an undershirt that is a tank tee. Where did a name like that come from—to label what is basically an under garment? The first person I knew to coin that phrase was my baby brother, Clay. He mentioned it in 1994; Clay said that whenever he watched the cop shows on TV, the men were generally arrested for spousal abuse, and once the cops drag them out of their homes, all they wore was a dingy, white tank tee and they were always drunk. So he started calling them ‘wife beaters’. I chuckled at first, but as time went on, I thought it misogynically rude and inappropriate.
The Wife Beater shirt…is an insulting slang that has taken off like wild fire. The term is demeaning and is often associated with ‘white trash’, more specifically, Italian-Americans. The origin of the term is a stereotype that the shirts are worn predominately by men who beat and abuse their wives. Wife beaters are also popular in the street gang culture of the United States and hip-hop culture. The National Organization for Women (NOW) says 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.” stated Kim Gandy, President of NOW. And I agree.
The ‘Wife Beater’ shirt is now a part of pop culture; teenage boys use the term and think it’s cool. And being that the term (slang) is commonly used and relatively widespread, it has recently been accepted into Oxford English Dictionary. I tried discussing this issue with a colleague at work and he came back at me with, “Well it’s not only a wife beater, but the official lesbian tee.” I was rendered speechless. He then muttered loudly while walking away, “Perhaps I’m callous and unfeeling…maybe even reprehensible, but I have a hard time getting worked up about a sleeveless undershirt. I have a record of fighting for women’s causes, but I must draw the line to this issue. Wife beaters is a publicly recognized name for this particular product—and the companies (Hanes, Fruit of the Loom, Jockey, etc.) had no role what so ever in it’s naming. Now don’t get offended, but it would be as if blaming a…let’s say, security dog breeder for naming the types of dogs he breeds, “nigger-chasers”. He said as he backed up away from me, because I wanted to slap him. “There are some names that although they display poor taste, are still the name recognized by the consumer. And when it comes to matters of finance, what sells is what counts in our capitalistic culture.” He finished.
I hated to admit it, but he wass absolutely right— the arrogant bastard!!!
posted by Gigi @ 6:57 PM
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