Underwear as outerwear

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Madonna's costumes in her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour is cited as an influence on turning corsets from underwear to stage attire. ExpressYourselfUnderGround cropped.jpg
Madonna's costumes in her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour is cited as an influence on turning corsets from underwear to stage attire.

Wearing underwear as outerwear is a fashion trend popularized by celebrities, sports and media. It began as a practical and comfortable variation of clothing, such as the T-shirt and the sleeveless shirt, but later evolved into provocative, controversial fashion statements. 21st century versions include the display of thongs and bras in women's clothing, and the display of underpants under low-slung pants in men. Wearing underwear as outerwear has historical antecedents in the display of undergarments in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. [1]

Contents

History

It is unclear when this officially began as a fashion trend, however, Chanel unveiled womenswear made from jersey in the 1920s, a fabric that was usually used for undergarments. [2] Notoriously, another notable edition was the invention of the T-shirt, which became popular outerwear after the Second World War. [3] Short-sleeve shirts were originally intended to be a comfortable alternative to Victorian undergarments but teenagers began to wear them as outerwear, due in part to James Dean and Marlon Brando's characters frequently wearing them this way in the movies Rebel Without a Cause and the A Streetcar Named Desire respectively. [3] [4] Swimwear, such as the bikini, have a history in originally being used as underwear pre-Renaissance, [5] and slip dresses were first widely worn in the 1990s, made from layered chiffon, polyester satins and charmeuse, and often trimmed with lace. [6]

In entertainment, underwear-like outfits are often the uniform for wrestlers and circus performers; former DC Comics editor Julius Schwartz revealed that this was the reason why superheroes like Superman wore briefs on top of their tights. [7] Madonna has been credited for making lingerie a popular outfit for female music artists on stage (e.g. Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Katy Perry) [8] when Jean-Paul Gaultier designed corsets ("an emblematic symbol of fashion in the early 90s"), [9] a cone bra and girdle for her Blonde Ambition Tour costumes. [10] [11] Coloured and decorative nipple pasties have been worn by Cara Delevingne, Bella Hadid and Doja Cat as part of fashion outfits. [12] For men, sagging is often credited to have begun from rap and hip hop artists in the 1990s, [13] as well as skateboarders. [14]

The sexual liberation movement of 1968 began the re-appropriation of the corset as a symbol of rebellion and "sexual perversity" by young women associated with London’s punk and Goth subcultures. This re-appropriation allowed a symbol historically associated with female oppression, to become reconceived as a symbol of sexual empowerment in fashion. [15] Outside of underwear fetishism, the corset made an appearance in evening gowns and wedding dresses. [16]

Sportswear

The T-shirt would eventually become a part of sportswear fashion with unique designs from many fashion brands. [3] Sports bras were first invented in 1975, and women have been wearing them under other clothing since then, [17] but in 1999, Brandi Chastain scored the fifth kick in the penalty shootout to give the United States the win over China in the final game of the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, and she spontaneously whipped off her jersey in celebration, exposing her sports bra. Her act is regarded by some as a historical event that boosted the wearing of sports bras on their own. [17] [18] From that point forward, sports bras have increasingly been worn as outerwear. [19]

Cultural reception

Office colleagues in Mexico City participating in 2015's No Pants Subway Ride. ViajesinPantalones2015 26.JPG
Office colleagues in Mexico City participating in 2015's No Pants Subway Ride.

Society often portrays the public in underwear as surrealist and comedic: No Pants Day is an annual event held in various Western countries, where people publicly wear only underwear and leave their legs exposed. No Pants Subway Ride is a similar event to promote public wearing of underwear on subway trains. Another such event is Undie Run, where people run on the street wearing only their underwear.

The popularity of low-rise pants in the 21st century led to the unintentional trend of the "whale tail" among young women who aspired to wear something "rump-flattering", [20] whereas sagging among young men and teenage boys became extremely controversial to the point of American towns demanding that it should be banned for indecency. [21] [22] However, the whale tail trend ended by the end of the 2000s and led to a rise in high-waisted clothing. [23]

Menswear never experienced a similar fashion turnaround, and men who wore high-waisted were ridiculed for wearing "Dad jeans". [24] Underwear companies took note on men's preference of wearing their trousers at the hips because low-rise pants sat lower than underwear and caused non-sagging men to expose their underpants waistband, [25] so they exploited it through designing waistbands with bright colors and larger logos. [26] Calvin Klein Underwear chief creative designer Bob Mazzoli explained in 2009, "Instead of a functional component, the waistband is a marketing platform and a canvas for real design [...] Seeing somebody with jeans that fall just below the waist to the point where the underwear shows is part of our cultural vernacular [and] it's something we consider in the design process." 2(x)ist's creative director Jason Scarlatti added: "It’s bragging rights for the customer. It says, ‘I paid good money for this.’" [26] Jockey underwear, credited as one of the first underwear brands to print its logo on waistbands, unveiled an advertising campaign in 2013 that featured models holding up their shirts to show the Jockey waistband exposed above their jeans and shorts. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lingerie</span> Womens undergarments including sleepwear

Lingerie is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments, sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashionable, or both. In a 2015 US survey, 75% of women reported having worn "sexy lingerie" in their lifetime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corset</span> Reinforced historical European undergarment

A corset is a support undergarment worn to hold and train the torso into the desired shape and posture. They are traditionally constructed out of fabric with boning made of whalebone or steel, a stiff panel in the front called a busk which holds the torso rigidly upright, and some form of lacing which allows the garment to be tightened. Corsets were an essential undergarment in European women's fashion from the 17th century to the early 20th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries they were commonly known as "stays" and had a more conical shape. This later evolved into the curvaceous 19th century form which is commonly associated with the corset today. By the beginning of the 20th century, shifting gender roles and the onsets of World War I and II led the corset to be largely discarded by mainstream fashion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belt (clothing)</span> Worn band or braid, usually around the waist or hips

A belt is a flexible band or strap, typically made of leather, plastic, or heavy cloth, worn around the natural waist or near it. The ends of a belt are free; and a buckle forms the belt into a loop by securing one end to another part of the belt, at or near the other end. Often, the resulting loop is smaller than the hips. Belts come in many lengths because of the variety in waist sizes, and most belts can be adjusted at the buckle to suit the wearer's waist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pantyhose</span> Sheer waist-high nylon legwear usually worn by women

Pantyhose, sometimes also called sheer tights, are close-fitting legwear covering the wearer's body from the waist to the toes. Pantyhose first appeared on store shelves in 1959 for the advertisement of new design panties as a convenient alternative to stockings and/or control panties which, in turn, replaced girdles.

A jockstrap, also a jock (male), jill (female), strap, cup, groin guard, pelvic protector (female), supporter, or athletic supporter, is an undergarment for protecting the scrotum and penis or vulva during contact sports or other vigorous physical activity. This article deals chiefly with the genital protective sports gear designed for the male body, colloquially known as a "jock".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of corsets</span> The history of the corset and stays

The corset is a supportive undergarment for women, dating, in Europe, back several centuries, evolving as fashion trends have changed and being known, depending on era and geography, as a pair of bodies, stays and corsets. The appearance of the garment represented a change from people wearing clothes to fit their bodies to changing the shape of their bodies to support and fit their fashionable clothing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leggings</span> Several types of leg coverings

Leggings are several types of leg attire that have varied through the years. Modern usage from the 1960s onwards has come to refer to elastic close-fitting high-rise garments worn over the legs typically by women, such as leg warmers or tights. Usage from the 18th century refers to men's wear usually made of cloth or leather that is wrapped around the leg down to the ankle. In the 19th century, leggings usually referred to infants' leg clothing that were matched with a jacket, as well as leg-wrappings made of leather or wool and worn by soldiers and trappers. Leggings prominently returned to women's fashion in the 1960s, drawing from the form-fitting clothing of dancers. With the widespread adoption of the synthetic fibre Lycra and the rise in popularity of aerobics, leggings came to further prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, and eventually made their way into streetwear. Leggings are a part of the late 2010s into the 2020s athleisure fashion trend of wearing activewear outside sporting activities and in casual settings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sagging (fashion)</span> Manner of wearing pants

Sagging is a manner of wearing trousers that sag so that the top of the trousers or jeans is significantly below the waist, sometimes revealing much of the wearer's underpants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foundation garment</span> Undergarment designed to mold and shape the body to a fashionable silhouette

A foundation garment is an undergarment designed to impermanently alter the wearer's body shape, to achieve what some view as a more fashionable figure. The function of a foundation garment is not to enhance a bodily feature but to make it look more presentable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low-rise pants</span> Style of pants

Low-rise pants, also known as "low-cut jeans", "lowriders" or "rap pants", are a type of pants that sit low on, or below, the hips, usually at least 8 centimetres (3 inches) lower than the navel. Low-rise pants have been available since the 1960s, in styles for both men and women, with popularity increasing in the West in the early 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whale tail</span> Part of a thong or G-string

Whale tail is the Y-shaped rear portion of a thong or G-string when visible above the waistline of low-rise pants, shorts, or skirts that resembles a whale's tail. Popularized by a number of female celebrities including Amy Dumas, Christina Aguilera, Victoria Beckham, Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, displaying whale tails became popular in the early 2000s, together with the popularity of low-rise jeans and thong panties; but quickly waned within the decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1945–1960 in Western fashion</span> Costume and fashion in the post-war years 1945-1960

Fashion in the years following World War II is characterized by the resurgence of haute couture after the austerity of the war years. Square shoulders and short skirts were replaced by the soft femininity of Christian Dior's "New Look" silhouette, with its sweeping longer skirts, fitted waist, and rounded shoulders, which in turn gave way to an unfitted, structural look in the later 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waistband</span> Clothing component that encircles the waist, especially of a skirt or trousers

A waistband is a strip of material that is either elastic or some other confining fabric that encircles the waist, usually as a component of clothing such as skirts, trousers, shorts, swimsuits, and undergarments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of bras</span>

The history of bras is closely tied to the social status of women, the evolution of fashion, and shifting views of the female body over time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Briefs</span> Type of undergarment and swimwear

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trousers</span> Clothing for the legs and lower body

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Underwear</span> Clothes worn under other clothes

Underwear, underclothing, or undergarments are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer clothing from being soiled or damaged by bodily excretions, to lessen the friction of outerwear against the skin, to shape the body, and to provide concealment or support for parts of it. In cold weather, long underwear is sometimes worn to provide additional warmth. Special types of undergarments have religious significance. Some items of clothing are designed as undergarments, while others, such as T-shirts and certain types of shorts, are appropriate both as underwear and outerwear. If made of suitable material or textile, some underwear can serve as nightwear or swimwear, and some undergarments are intended for sexual attraction or visual appeal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-rise (fashion)</span> 20th century and 21st century fashion phenonemon

A high-rise or high-waisted garment is one designed to sit high on, or above, the wearer's hips, usually at least 8 centimetres (3 inches) higher than the navel. In western cultures, high-rise jeans were especially common in the 1970s, late 1980s through the late 1990s, derided as mom jeans in the 2000s, and popular again in the mid-to-late 2010s and continues to be popular into the present in competition with low-rise pants.

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References

  1. ↑ Lisa Jardine (24 October 2008). "Underwear as outerwear". BBC News. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
  2. ↑ "From Marlon Brando to Kendall Jenner, 27 of the Best Classic White T-Shirts Ever". Vogue . 2015-05-20. Archived from the original on 2020-07-07.
  3. 1 2 3 monty (2018-09-05). "History of the T-Shirt | Men's T-Shirt Style Ideas | Burton". Burton. Archived from the original on 2020-07-07.
  4. ↑ "A Streetcar Named Desire – AMC filmsite". Filmsite.org. 1947-12-03. Archived from the original on 2012-08-02. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  5. ↑ Stephanie Pedersen (2004). Bra. David & Charles. p. 8. ISBN   0-7153-2067-X.
  6. ↑ Amy T. Peterson & Ann T. Kellogg, ed. (2008). The Greenwood encyclopedia of clothing through American history 1900 to the present. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. p. 229. ISBN   9780313358555.
  7. ↑ Hiskey, Daven (26 December 2013). "Why Superheroes Wear their Underwear on the Outside". Today I Found Out.
  8. ↑ Alice Fisher (29 November 2009). "Underwear as outerwear" . The Observer. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
  9. ↑ San Martin, Macarena (2011). Fashion Details: 1,000 Ideas from Neckline to Waistline, Pockets to Pleats. page 6. Rockport Publishers. ISBN   978-1-5925-3716-7.
  10. ↑ Dana, Rebecca (June 15, 2010). "Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Madonna: Dueling Cone Bras". The Daily Beast . Archived from the original on 2020-07-07.
  11. ↑ Steele, Valarie. “The Hard Body A Muscular Corset.” The Corset: A Cultural History. New Haven & London: Yale UP, 2001. 143-176. Print
  12. ↑ Bramley, Ellie Violet (1 June 2022). "Breast in show! How nipple pasties went from underwear to outerwear". The Guardian. UK.
  13. ↑ Koppel, Niko (August 30, 2007). "Are Your Jeans Sagging? Go Directly to Jail". New York Times . Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Teens' Sagging Jeans Not Just for 'Gangstas.'", Jennifer Skordas, Salt Lake Tribune. 15 October 1995 (p. B1).
  15. ↑ Wilkins, Amy (June 2004). ""So Full of Myself as a Chick": Goth Women, Sexual Independence, and Gender Egalitarianism". Gender and Society. 18 (3): 328–49. doi:10.1177/0891243204264421. JSTOR   4149405. S2CID   11244993.
  16. ↑ Crane, Diana. “Postmodernism and the Avant-Garde: Stylistic Change in Fashion Design.” Modernism/Modernity, 4, (1997), 123-140.
  17. 1 2 Komar, Marlen (7 August 2017). "The Surprising Feminist History Of The Sports Bra Will Make You Seriously Angry". Bustle. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  18. ↑ Roberts, Jacob (2017). "Women's work". Distillations. 3 (1): 6–11. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  19. ↑ Krucoff, Carol (9 August 1999). "Sports Bras Are a Bust for Some". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 6 April 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
  20. ↑ "Celebrities Are Showing Off Butt Cleavage - ABC News". ABC News. 2002-07-25. Retrieved 6 January 2006.
  21. ↑ Siddique, Haroon (June 14, 2007). "US town bans saggy pants". The Guardian . Retrieved June 15, 2007.
  22. ↑ Schneiderman, R.M. (May 17, 2010). "Ad Campaign Asks Queens Bus Riders to Pull Up Their Pants". The Wall Street Journal . Metropolis (blog). Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  23. ↑ Kczynski, Alex (2004-09-12). "Now You See It, Now You Don't". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-30. Certainly, American clothing designers are now embracing a more modest look, their focus shifting from low-slung jeans and exposed midriffs to high-waisted trousers and cardigans.
  24. ↑ "Obama: No apologies for 'dad jeans'". Chicago Sun Times . Associated Press. 2009-07-21. Archived from the original on 2010-03-02. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  25. ↑ "Underwear shows more than you think: Underwear Matters - AskMen". AskMen . Archived from the original on 2020-07-04. Men tend not to wear their trousers around their waists anymore, especially when it comes to jeans. Low-rise jeans are made to sit on your hips and this leaves the waistband of your underwear exposed. Your underwear is more visible than you think; the slight bend over or lift of your arms can show the world what you're rocking down there.
  26. 1 2 "Underwear Waistbands: A Peekaboo Fashion Trend - WWD". WWD. 2009-04-09.
  27. ↑ "Are You Ready to Show You're Jockey?". 2013-05-17. Archived from the original on 2013-11-28. Ever noticed guys with low-riding jeans deliberately showing their briefs' waistband? Not the peeking type? Well, Jockey is. And they've turned this into a campaign. Jockey, inventor of the men's Y-Front briefs and the first to use a branded waistband, launched their "Show You're Jockey" campaign last Wednesday, May 15 at the Society Lounge in Makati City. The worldwide campaign will feature men and women of different nationalities revealing their Jockey underwear.
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