fbpx
Wikipedia

Whale tail

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.[1][2][3] 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.[citation needed]

Whale tail above the rim of low rise jeans

Low-waisted trousers, such as low-rise jeans or hip-huggers, and higher-cut thongs led to greater exposure of the whale tail.[1][4] The trend was also associated with the trend of sporting lower back tattoos.[5]

The word was selected by the American Dialect Society in January 2006 as the "most creative word" of 2005.

History edit

The rising popularity of low-rise jeans led to increased exposure of thong tops in the early 2000s.[6] Originally shown by WWE female wrestler Amy Dumas in early 2000, others such as Britney Spears have been portrayed as a major contributor to the whale tail's popularity.[7][8][9] Her whale tail display has been referred to in such creative literature books as Married to a Rock Star by Shemane Nugent,[10] Thong on Fire by Noire,[11] The Magical Breasts of Britney Spears by Ryan G. Van Cleave,[12] and Off-Color by Janet McDonald.[13] The Oregonian, a Portland, Oregon, newspaper, wrote in 2004 that an abundance of whale tails had become a distraction on the campus.[14] Social commentator Ann C. Hall identified this campus trend as an "apparent intersection between everyday campus fashion and soft porn".[5] The layered clothing trend of the early 2000s was partly led by the whale tail style that incorporates hip-hugger jeans, crop tops and high riding thongs popularized by celebrities.[15][16]

Rise edit

 
Recording artists such as Madonna (seen here undressing on stage at Seattle MDNA Tour in 2012), Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears made visible underwear and whale tails popular.

By the mid-2000s, whale tails became common to celebrities, providing opportunities to the paparazzi.[17][18] Whale tail display spawned a new accessory—clip-on jewelry for the visible straps.[19] Jess Cartner-Morley of The Guardian claimed that following pop stars in the hipster trousers gave rise to the "low-slung jeans, whale-tail G-string era".[20] On 17 September 2004, a writer for the Chicago Sun-Times stated, "Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera regularly were photographed with thong straps riding high above their low-rise jeans. And even Halle Berry catered to the thong craze by attending an awards show with bejeweled thong straps peeking out from above her miniskirt."[8] Actresses Gillian Anderson, Natalie Portman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall and Tara Reid, MTV's Molly Sims, model Kate Moss, singers Beyoncé Knowles, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson, LeAnn Rimes and Britney Spears have been associated as propagators of the trend by ABC.[21]

In France, clothing brands started creating the thong or le string in styles that encourage a projection above low-hung jeans, such as designs that had small jewels or luminous stars sewn into the "tail".[22] In India, thongs peeked out of low-rise jeans in page three parties and university bashes.[23] Indian model Shefali Zariwala displayed a whale tail in the MTV Immies-winning music video "Kaanta Lagaa" and shot to fame and public debate in 2003.[23][24] In Japan, clothing company Sanna's brought forward an extreme low-rise hip-hugging jeans design with built-in thong whale tails.[25] R&B artist Sisqó rhapsodized about whale tails in his "Thong Song"[9]—"I like it when the beat goes da na da na/Baby make your booty go da na da na/Girl I know you wanna show da na da na/That thong thong thong thong." Another movie titled Whale Tail: Thong Dreams was released in 2005 featuring Sunny Lane and Kirsten Price.[26] In 2003, web content developer Gavin Hamilton created the site whale-tail.com with content featuring whale tail display.[27] The domain name WhaleTail.com sold for $6,600 in October 2004.[28] The website has been quoted by ABC Radio, NY Times,[9] FHM (UK) and Fuel Magazine (Australia), and has been nominated as a Best Adult Web Site by Australian Adult Industry Awards in 2008.[29]

Legal debates edit

In 2004, Louisiana, USA State Representative Derrick Shepherd proposed a bill (HB1626), also known as the Baggy Pants Bill to Louisiana House of Representatives. The bill proposed that "it shall be unlawful for any person to appear in public wearing his pants below his waist and thereby exposing his skin or intimate clothing" and that violators would be subjected to three eight-hour days of community service and a fine of up to US$175.[30] The measure died in the face of opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union.[31] The bill was proposed again in 2008 and was rejected by a state Senate panel.[31] In two Louisiana towns, Delcambre (a maximum penalty of US$615 fine or up to six months in prison) and Opelousas (a maximum penalty of US$500 fine or up to six months in prison), wearing low slung pants that reveal buttock cleavage or undergarments is considered a misdemeanor.[30][32][33] Garments that reveal underpants were banned in four other Louisiana towns including Alexandria and Shreveport, where violators face fines of US$150 or 15 days in jail, as well as Hawkinsville, Georgia.[32][34]

In February 2005, the Senate Courts of Justice Committee of Virginia voted unanimously in a hastily convened meeting against a bill proposed by Delegate Algie T. Howell Jr. (Norfolk, Virginia) to impose a US$50 fine on any person who publicly and intentionally "wears and displays his below-waist undergarments, intended to cover a person's intimate parts, in a lewd or indecent manner" in a public place.[35] The bill (HB1981), also known as the Droopy Drawers Bill, was earlier passed by Virginia House of Delegates by a 60–34 vote.[36][37] Atlanta, GA, Dallas, TX, Baltimore, MD, Charlotte, NC, Yonkers, NY, Duncan, OK, Natchitoches, LA, Stratford, CT, Pine Bluff, AR, Trenton, NJ, Pleasantville, NJ, as well as three other Georgia towns, Rome, Brunswick and Plains have seen attempts to ban underwear peeking over the pants.[34] School dress codes sometimes also banned some low-rising pants or visible underwear.[38][39][40]

Decline edit

The trend of wearing whale tail-revealing jeans started to dissipate somewhat in the mid-2000s when American clothing designers started shifting focus from low-slung jeans and exposed midriffs to high-waisted trousers and cardigans.[9] Jess Cartner-Morley, fashion writer of The Guardian, claimed that the whale tail and the muffin top (the bulge of flesh hanging over the top of low-rider jeans), "twin crimes of modern fashion", had led to the decline in the popularity of hipster jeans.[41] She quoted Louise Hunn, editor of the British edition of InStyle, as saying—"When a look goes too mainstream, people start wearing it badly. And then the really fashionable people run a mile".[42] While the thong still represented 24% of the US$2.5 billion annual market in women's underwear, it stopped growing by end of 2004.[9] Some vendors, including Victoria's Secret and DKNY, started selling thongs that do not result in whale tails.[43][44][45][46] Adam Lippes, founder of the lingerie line ADAM, said, "Women got tired of it. And they got sick and tired of seeing string hanging out of the top of every celebrity's jeans."[9]

Resurgence edit

 
Russian-born Israeli model Anna Zak revealing a whale tail in 2021.

In the late 2010s, a number of late 1990s and early 2000s fashion trends made a comeback. Starting in 2018 and 2019, the look returned to prominence as fashion designers showcased the style at runways such as at the Met Gala.[47] In 2019, publications including Vogue and the Daily Record began referring to a revived interest in the trend, with influencers such as Kim Kardashian, Hailey Baldwin and Dua Lipa prominently wearing it.[48][49][50][51] The American singer-songwriter Beyoncé would also adopt the look for a 2019 British Vogue photo shoot. [52]

Copying celebrities, teenagers on TikTok, members of Generation Z, would quickly adopt the trend.[53] By 2021, the trend had gained enough social media prominence that on the platform, “#WhaleTail [had] more than 32 million views.”[54]

However, unlike the previous wave, when an almost accidental look was emphasized, the new wave instead placed an importance on purposefulness. While some influencers still wore a thong with a separate pair of clothing, this new trend would have the whale tail be the center of the fashion piece. For example, some companies sold skirts that had a thong built-in.[55]

The trend would not be just a Western phenomenon. By 2022, a number of K-pop stars, such as Lightsum's Chowon, would also join the trend by posting photos of themselves revealing whale tails while performing a wide range of duties such as when posting on social media, participating in promotion tours, and at times when performing.[56]

Socio-cultural analysis edit

Attributing whale tails to mainstreaming of the sexualization of young women, The Santa Rosa, California Press Democrat termed the trend as "stripper chic".[57][58] Post-modern thinker Yasmin Jiwani and co-writers described the trend in Girlhood: Redefining the Limits as an attempt to redefine girlhood while acknowledging the debate around it. The book termed the trend as the "slut" look popularized by Britney Spears.[7] Some experts even dubbed visible whale tails as "thong feminism" for young girls.[59] Other experts accused marketers of "outrageous selling of sex to children".[60]

One conjecture assumes that the style of exposed thong may have "bubbled-up" from the street level to the high streets, like the jeans and t-shirt look of James Dean.[61] Another assumes the fad was initiated by glamor model Jordan in England and singers Mariah Carey and Spears in the United States.[62] The phenomenon has been compared to the phenomenon of visible bra straps.[63][64] Saying that "just as Madonna made bras a public garment in the 1980s, Ms. Lewinsky, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears transformed women's panties into a provocative garment intended for public display", the New York Times claimed that the thong, with straps worn high over the hips and exposed by fashionable low-rise jeans and "Juicy Couture" sweat pants, had become a public icon.[9]

Word of the year edit

 
A real whale's tail, also called a fluke, in whole or as one of the lobes.[65][66]

"Whale tail" was selected in January 2006 as the "most creative word" of 2005 by the American Dialect Society, a group of linguists, editors, and academics. It received 44 votes to muffin top's 25, flee-ancée's (a reference to runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks) 15, and pinosaur's (a very old Wollemi pine tree near Australia's Blue Mountains) 6.[67]

While discussing these new coinages, Sali Tagliamonte, associate professor of linguistics at the University of Toronto, observed that young women in North America were ahead of young men as influencers.[68] The use of the word to indicate an underwear phenomenon has shown up in serious mainstream news media,[69][70] sometimes in reference to the pop stars who made the fashion trend popular.[70] Wayne Glowka, member of the Georgia College and State University faculty and head of the New Word Committee of the Dialect Society, said about the happening, "Language is just going on its merry way, creating many new words. It's time for men to win something."[71]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Kremer, John. . Sing-Song Words. Open Horizons. Archived from the original on 2018-11-08. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
  2. ^ Vildasol, Maddox; Angelo Vildasol (2006). The Alphabet of Manliness. Citadel Press. p. 147. ISBN 0-8065-2720-X.
  3. ^ Flocker, Michael (2006). Death by PowerPoint: A Modern Office Survival Guide. Perseus Books Group. p. 219. ISBN 0-306-81512-5.
  4. ^ Garchik, Leah (2004-08-23). "Daily Datebook". San Francisco Chronicle: F8. "A Hollister spy says the thong visible from the back of low-rise jeans is called a "whale tail."
  5. ^ a b Hall, Ann C.; Mardia J. Bishop (2007). Pop-porn: Pornography in American Culture. Praeger. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-275-99920-9.
  6. ^ Steele, Valerie (2005). Encyclopedia of clothing and fashion. Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 318. ISBN 0-684-31394-4.
  7. ^ a b Jiwani, Yasmin; Candis Steenbergen; Claudia Mitchell (2006). Girlhood: Redefining the Limits. Black Rose Books. p. 173. ISBN 1-55164-276-X. This style has sparked heated debates across the country, as parents negotiate their daughter's skin quotient and students debate their comfort level with the visible thong over fries and gravy at lunch.
  8. ^ a b Kim, Jae-Ha (2004-09-17). "Good riddance: The tail end of the thong's popularity is in sight". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Kczynski, Alex (2004-09-12). "Now You See It, Now You Don't". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
  10. ^ Nugent, Shemane (2004). Married to a Rock Star. Globe Pequot Press. p. 119. ISBN 1-59228-561-9.
  11. ^ Noire (2007). Thong on Fire: An Urban Erotic Tale. Atria Books. p. 226. ISBN 978-1-4165-3302-3.
  12. ^ Van Cleave, Ryan G. (2006). The Magical Breasts of Britney Spears. Red Hen Press. p. 90. ISBN 1-59709-067-0.
  13. ^ McDonald, Janet (2007). Off-Color. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-374-37196-8.
  14. ^ Quinn, Tom (2004-06-24). "Updated Dress Code Addresses New Styles". The Oregonian: 1. Another distraction occurs when pants ride low in the back and expose thong underwear, a phenomenon students have dubbed whales' tails... If you a 16-year-old boy in an English class, and you've got three whales' tails in front of you, it's pretty hard to concentrate on verbs.
  15. ^ La Ferla, Ruth (2004-06-08). "What Stylish Young Women Are Wearing". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
  16. ^ Elliott, John; Keenlyside, Sarah (2005-07-31). "Bottom falls out of thong market". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
  17. ^ Clydesdale, Lindsay (2008-02-06). "So Thong, And Thanks For Nothing". Daily Records. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
  18. ^ Websites like the Whale tail World 2016-01-14 at the Wayback Machine listed out their own version of top celebrity whale tails
  19. ^ Achor Hayes, Tracy (2001-03-13). "Waistbands dive to daring new depths". Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
  20. ^ Cartner-Morley, Jess (2008-02-16). "One-piece in our time". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
  21. ^ Celebrities Are Showing Off Butt Cleavage, ABC News, 2009-06-25. Retrieved 2010-12-15
  22. ^ Lichfield, John (2003-10-14). . The Independent. London. Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
  23. ^ a b Sharma, Kalpana (2007-07-14). "Pssst! It's showing!". The Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  24. ^ Staff Correspondent (2007-02-05). . The Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Archived from the original on 2009-01-13. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  25. ^ News Desk (2009-04-09). "Are they jeans or is it a thong?". Metro.com. Associated Newspapers Limited. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
  26. ^ "Whale Tail: Thong Dreams". AOL. Retrieved 2009-04-10.[dead link]
  27. ^ "whaletail.com". Alexa Internet Inc. Retrieved 2008-07-29.[permanent dead link]
  28. ^ Jackson, Ron. "Mingle.com Meets Banker.com In the 40K Club Atop This Week's Sales Chart". Domain Name Journal. Internet Edge Inc. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
  29. ^ . Australian Adult Industry Awards. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
  30. ^ a b Thomas, Bethany (2004-05-13). "Memo to Britney: Lose the low-slungs". Weird news. NBC News. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
  31. ^ a b "Baggy Pants Bill Blocked in Louisiana". Politics. Fox News. Associated Press. 2008-04-22. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
  32. ^ a b . International News. France24. Agence France-Presse. 2007-08-30. Archived from the original on 2009-01-16. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
  33. ^ "Fancy pants just not hip in Atlanta". World. Agence France-Presse. 2007-08-30. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
  34. ^ a b Parker, Laura (2007-09-15). "Is It a Crime to Wear Baggy Pants?". ABC News. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
  35. ^ Bahrampour, Tara (2005-02-11). "A Brief Matter of Style". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
  36. ^ "Virginia OKs Fine for Low-Rider Pants". Fox News. 2005-02-09. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
  37. ^ Dybdahl, Pete (2005-02-10). "Don't get caught with your pants down". The Roanoke Times. Archived from the original on 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
  38. ^ Bowen, Jon (1999-03-08). . Ivory Towers. Archived from the original on 2011-10-24. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
  39. ^ Lyons, Jessica (2001-09-27). "Armed with high ideals, Joseph Pawlick enforces a mandate for change at Salinas High--whether teachers, students and parents want it or not". Monterey County Weekly. Archived from the original on 2007-06-28. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
  40. ^ Mary, Spicuzza (2000-09-14). "Panty Ranting". MetroActive News. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
  41. ^ Cartner-Morley, Jess (2005-03-25). "Hang up your hipsters". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  42. ^ Cartner-Morley, Jess (2005-04-09). "No time to waist". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  43. ^ . Asylum. Archived from the original on 2008-07-25. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  44. ^ "Backless underwear?". Style Dash. 2006-09-15. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  45. ^ . Victoria's Secret. Archived from the original on 2008-05-31. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  46. ^ . Amazon. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  47. ^ Cavallo, Alice (6 February 2023). "Why Do We Keep Returning to the '90s Whale Tail Trend?". L’Officiel. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  48. ^ SATENSTEIN, LIANA (13 September 2017). "Thongs Are Making a Very Visible Comeback". Vogue. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  49. ^ Wade, Prudence (21 August 2019). "Remember the whale tail? The bizarre 90s knicker trend is making a comeback". Daily Record. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  50. ^ SATENSTEIN, LIANA (October 2020). "Dua Lipa Embraces the Exposed Thong Trend". Vogue. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  51. ^ Sara Radin (2019-11-13). "The Visible G-string Is Officially Making Its Comeback — Here's What It Means". Teen Vogue.
  52. ^ Blatz, Margaret (2020-11-12). "This *Extremely* Controversial '90s Trend Is Making A Splash Again". Elite Daily. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  53. ^ Reynolds, Megan (2021-04-21). "If You're Going to Do a 'Whale Tail,' Please Do It Right". Jezebel. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  54. ^ Huber, Eliza (2021-06-17). "My Week In Whale Tails: What It's Really Like Wearing A Visible Thong". Refinery 29. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  55. ^ Rambharose, Amber (2023-05-17). "Whale Tail Skirts Are Back, Apparently". InStyle. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  56. ^ "Korean Netizens React to the Viral "Visible Thong" Trend in K-Pop". 6 February 2023.
  57. ^ Wolfe, Rayne (2006-10-17). "Stripper chic: as scanty styles of dress enter the teen mainstream, parents are left wondering where to set limits, or if they can". The Press Democrat. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  58. ^ Thomsen, Anisa (2006-10-24). "Sexualizing girls". The Press Democrat. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  59. ^ Masquelier, Adeline Marie (2005). "Dirt, Undress, and Difference: Critical Perspectives on the Body's Surface" in American Anthropological Association Meeting. Indiana University Press. p. 27. ISBN 0-253-21783-0. A rebellion against parents and other adults who seem to have forgotten their own fling with hot pants and the no-bra look.
  60. ^ Buddenberg, Laura J.; Kathleen M. McGee (2004). Who's Raising Your Child?. Boys Town Press. pp. 61–63. ISBN 1-889322-59-8.
  61. ^ Jackson, Tim; David Shaw (2006). The Fashion Handbook. Routledge. p. 26. ISBN 0-415-25580-5.
  62. ^ Steele, Valerie (2005). Encyclopedia of clothing and fashion. Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 121. ISBN 0-684-31394-4.
  63. ^ . TimeOut New York. Archived from the original on 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
  64. ^ . Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2008-10-09. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
  65. ^ Smith, Chrysti M. (2003). Verbivore's Feast: A Banquet of Word & Phrase Origins. Farcountry Press. p. 125. ISBN 1-56037-265-6.
  66. ^ Partridge, Eric (1966). Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English. Routledge. p. 217. ISBN 0-415-05077-4.
  67. ^ "Words of the Year 2005" (PDF). American Dialect Society. 2006-01-06. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
  68. ^ Harlow, John (2006-01-08). "Hey exogals, girl talk is the future of English". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
  69. ^ "Showbiz Tonight". CNN transcripts. CNN. 2006-01-16. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
  70. ^ a b "The Situation Room". CNN transcripts. CNN. 2006-01-16. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
  71. ^ Mercer, Marsh (2007-01-03). "Word of year might be something manly". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2008-10-03.

whale, tail, other, uses, disambiguation, shaped, rear, portion, thong, string, when, visible, above, waistline, rise, pants, shorts, skirts, that, resembles, whale, tail, popularized, number, female, celebrities, including, dumas, christina, aguilera, victori. For other uses see Whale tail disambiguation 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 1 2 3 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 citation needed Whale tail above the rim of low rise jeans Low waisted trousers such as low rise jeans or hip huggers and higher cut thongs led to greater exposure of the whale tail 1 4 The trend was also associated with the trend of sporting lower back tattoos 5 The word was selected by the American Dialect Society in January 2006 as the most creative word of 2005 Contents 1 History 1 1 Rise 1 2 Legal debates 1 3 Decline 1 4 Resurgence 2 Socio cultural analysis 3 Word of the year 4 See also 5 ReferencesHistory editThe rising popularity of low rise jeans led to increased exposure of thong tops in the early 2000s 6 Originally shown by WWE female wrestler Amy Dumas in early 2000 others such as Britney Spears have been portrayed as a major contributor to the whale tail s popularity 7 8 9 Her whale tail display has been referred to in such creative literature books as Married to a Rock Star by Shemane Nugent 10 Thong on Fire by Noire 11 The Magical Breasts of Britney Spears by Ryan G Van Cleave 12 and Off Color by Janet McDonald 13 The Oregonian a Portland Oregon newspaper wrote in 2004 that an abundance of whale tails had become a distraction on the campus 14 Social commentator Ann C Hall identified this campus trend as an apparent intersection between everyday campus fashion and soft porn 5 The layered clothing trend of the early 2000s was partly led by the whale tail style that incorporates hip hugger jeans crop tops and high riding thongs popularized by celebrities 15 16 Rise edit nbsp Recording artists such as Madonna seen here undressing on stage at Seattle MDNA Tour in 2012 Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears made visible underwear and whale tails popular By the mid 2000s whale tails became common to celebrities providing opportunities to the paparazzi 17 18 Whale tail display spawned a new accessory clip on jewelry for the visible straps 19 Jess Cartner Morley of The Guardian claimed that following pop stars in the hipster trousers gave rise to the low slung jeans whale tail G string era 20 On 17 September 2004 a writer for the Chicago Sun Times stated Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera regularly were photographed with thong straps riding high above their low rise jeans And even Halle Berry catered to the thong craze by attending an awards show with bejeweled thong straps peeking out from above her miniskirt 8 Actresses Gillian Anderson Natalie Portman Sarah Jessica Parker Kim Cattrall and Tara Reid MTV s Molly Sims model Kate Moss singers Beyonce Knowles Mariah Carey Jennifer Lopez Janet Jackson LeAnn Rimes and Britney Spears have been associated as propagators of the trend by ABC 21 In France clothing brands started creating the thong or le string in styles that encourage a projection above low hung jeans such as designs that had small jewels or luminous stars sewn into the tail 22 In India thongs peeked out of low rise jeans in page three parties and university bashes 23 Indian model Shefali Zariwala displayed a whale tail in the MTV Immies winning music video Kaanta Lagaa and shot to fame and public debate in 2003 23 24 In Japan clothing company Sanna s brought forward an extreme low rise hip hugging jeans design with built in thong whale tails 25 R amp B artist Sisqo rhapsodized about whale tails in his Thong Song 9 I like it when the beat goes da na da na Baby make your booty go da na da na Girl I know you wanna show da na da na That thong thong thong thong Another movie titled Whale Tail Thong Dreams was released in 2005 featuring Sunny Lane and Kirsten Price 26 In 2003 web content developer Gavin Hamilton created the site whale tail com with content featuring whale tail display 27 The domain name WhaleTail com sold for 6 600 in October 2004 28 The website has been quoted by ABC Radio NY Times 9 FHM UK and Fuel Magazine Australia and has been nominated as a Best Adult Web Site by Australian Adult Industry Awards in 2008 29 Legal debates edit In 2004 Louisiana USA State Representative Derrick Shepherd proposed a bill HB1626 also known as the Baggy Pants Bill to Louisiana House of Representatives The bill proposed that it shall be unlawful for any person to appear in public wearing his pants below his waist and thereby exposing his skin or intimate clothing and that violators would be subjected to three eight hour days of community service and a fine of up to US 175 30 The measure died in the face of opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union 31 The bill was proposed again in 2008 and was rejected by a state Senate panel 31 In two Louisiana towns Delcambre a maximum penalty of US 615 fine or up to six months in prison and Opelousas a maximum penalty of US 500 fine or up to six months in prison wearing low slung pants that reveal buttock cleavage or undergarments is considered a misdemeanor 30 32 33 Garments that reveal underpants were banned in four other Louisiana towns including Alexandria and Shreveport where violators face fines of US 150 or 15 days in jail as well as Hawkinsville Georgia 32 34 In February 2005 the Senate Courts of Justice Committee of Virginia voted unanimously in a hastily convened meeting against a bill proposed by Delegate Algie T Howell Jr Norfolk Virginia to impose a US 50 fine on any person who publicly and intentionally wears and displays his below waist undergarments intended to cover a person s intimate parts in a lewd or indecent manner in a public place 35 The bill HB1981 also known as the Droopy Drawers Bill was earlier passed by Virginia House of Delegates by a 60 34 vote 36 37 Atlanta GA Dallas TX Baltimore MD Charlotte NC Yonkers NY Duncan OK Natchitoches LA Stratford CT Pine Bluff AR Trenton NJ Pleasantville NJ as well as three other Georgia towns Rome Brunswick and Plains have seen attempts to ban underwear peeking over the pants 34 School dress codes sometimes also banned some low rising pants or visible underwear 38 39 40 Decline edit The trend of wearing whale tail revealing jeans started to dissipate somewhat in the mid 2000s when American clothing designers started shifting focus from low slung jeans and exposed midriffs to high waisted trousers and cardigans 9 Jess Cartner Morley fashion writer of The Guardian claimed that the whale tail and the muffin top the bulge of flesh hanging over the top of low rider jeans twin crimes of modern fashion had led to the decline in the popularity of hipster jeans 41 She quoted Louise Hunn editor of the British edition of InStyle as saying When a look goes too mainstream people start wearing it badly And then the really fashionable people run a mile 42 While the thong still represented 24 of the US 2 5 billion annual market in women s underwear it stopped growing by end of 2004 9 Some vendors including Victoria s Secret and DKNY started selling thongs that do not result in whale tails 43 44 45 46 Adam Lippes founder of the lingerie line ADAM said Women got tired of it And they got sick and tired of seeing string hanging out of the top of every celebrity s jeans 9 Resurgence edit nbsp Russian born Israeli model Anna Zak revealing a whale tail in 2021 In the late 2010s a number of late 1990s and early 2000s fashion trends made a comeback Starting in 2018 and 2019 the look returned to prominence as fashion designers showcased the style at runways such as at the Met Gala 47 In 2019 publications including Vogue and the Daily Record began referring to a revived interest in the trend with influencers such as Kim Kardashian Hailey Baldwin and Dua Lipa prominently wearing it 48 49 50 51 The American singer songwriter Beyonce would also adopt the look for a 2019 British Vogue photo shoot 52 Copying celebrities teenagers on TikTok members of Generation Z would quickly adopt the trend 53 By 2021 the trend had gained enough social media prominence that on the platform WhaleTail had more than 32 million views 54 However unlike the previous wave when an almost accidental look was emphasized the new wave instead placed an importance on purposefulness While some influencers still wore a thong with a separate pair of clothing this new trend would have the whale tail be the center of the fashion piece For example some companies sold skirts that had a thong built in 55 The trend would not be just a Western phenomenon By 2022 a number of K pop stars such as Lightsum s Chowon would also join the trend by posting photos of themselves revealing whale tails while performing a wide range of duties such as when posting on social media participating in promotion tours and at times when performing 56 Socio cultural analysis editSee also Social impact of thong underwear Attributing whale tails to mainstreaming of the sexualization of young women The Santa Rosa California Press Democrat termed the trend as stripper chic 57 58 Post modern thinker Yasmin Jiwani and co writers described the trend in Girlhood Redefining the Limits as an attempt to redefine girlhood while acknowledging the debate around it The book termed the trend as the slut look popularized by Britney Spears 7 Some experts even dubbed visible whale tails as thong feminism for young girls 59 Other experts accused marketers of outrageous selling of sex to children 60 One conjecture assumes that the style of exposed thong may have bubbled up from the street level to the high streets like the jeans and t shirt look of James Dean 61 Another assumes the fad was initiated by glamor model Jordan in England and singers Mariah Carey and Spears in the United States 62 The phenomenon has been compared to the phenomenon of visible bra straps 63 64 Saying that just as Madonna made bras a public garment in the 1980s Ms Lewinsky Paris Hilton and Britney Spears transformed women s panties into a provocative garment intended for public display the New York Times claimed that the thong with straps worn high over the hips and exposed by fashionable low rise jeans and Juicy Couture sweat pants had become a public icon 9 Word of the year edit nbsp A real whale s tail also called a fluke in whole or as one of the lobes 65 66 Whale tail was selected in January 2006 as the most creative word of 2005 by the American Dialect Society a group of linguists editors and academics It received 44 votes to muffin top s 25 flee ancee s a reference to runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks 15 and pinosaur s a very old Wollemi pine tree near Australia s Blue Mountains 6 67 While discussing these new coinages Sali Tagliamonte associate professor of linguistics at the University of Toronto observed that young women in North America were ahead of young men as influencers 68 The use of the word to indicate an underwear phenomenon has shown up in serious mainstream news media 69 70 sometimes in reference to the pop stars who made the fashion trend popular 70 Wayne Glowka member of the Georgia College and State University faculty and head of the New Word Committee of the Dialect Society said about the happening Language is just going on its merry way creating many new words It s time for men to win something 71 See also editButtock cleavage Camel toe Crop top Muffin top Panty line Sagging Social impact of thong underwear Underwear as outerwear Upskirt Wardrobe malfunctionReferences edit nbsp Look up whale tail in Wiktionary the free dictionary nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Whale tail a b Kremer John Reduplicatives and Rhyming Words Sing Song Words Open Horizons Archived from the original on 2018 11 08 Retrieved 2008 10 27 Vildasol Maddox Angelo Vildasol 2006 The Alphabet of Manliness Citadel Press p 147 ISBN 0 8065 2720 X Flocker Michael 2006 Death by PowerPoint A Modern Office Survival Guide Perseus Books Group p 219 ISBN 0 306 81512 5 Garchik Leah 2004 08 23 Daily Datebook San Francisco Chronicle F8 A Hollister spy says the thong visible from the back of low rise jeans is called a whale tail a b Hall Ann C Mardia J Bishop 2007 Pop porn Pornography in American Culture Praeger p 57 ISBN 978 0 275 99920 9 Steele Valerie 2005 Encyclopedia of clothing and fashion Charles Scribner s Sons p 318 ISBN 0 684 31394 4 a b Jiwani Yasmin Candis Steenbergen Claudia Mitchell 2006 Girlhood Redefining the Limits Black Rose Books p 173 ISBN 1 55164 276 X This style has sparked heated debates across the country as parents negotiate their daughter s skin quotient and students debate their comfort level with the visible thong over fries and gravy at lunch a b Kim Jae Ha 2004 09 17 Good riddance The tail end of the thong s popularity is in sight Chicago Sun Times Retrieved 2008 08 06 a b c d e f g Kczynski Alex 2004 09 12 Now You See It Now You Don t The New York Times Retrieved 2008 10 30 Nugent Shemane 2004 Married to a Rock Star Globe Pequot Press p 119 ISBN 1 59228 561 9 Noire 2007 Thong on Fire An Urban Erotic Tale Atria Books p 226 ISBN 978 1 4165 3302 3 Van Cleave Ryan G 2006 The Magical Breasts of Britney Spears Red Hen Press p 90 ISBN 1 59709 067 0 McDonald Janet 2007 Off Color Farrar Straus and Giroux p 5 ISBN 978 0 374 37196 8 Quinn Tom 2004 06 24 Updated Dress Code Addresses New Styles The Oregonian 1 Another distraction occurs when pants ride low in the back and expose thong underwear a phenomenon students have dubbed whales tails If you a 16 year old boy in an English class and you ve got three whales tails in front of you it s pretty hard to concentrate on verbs La Ferla Ruth 2004 06 08 What Stylish Young Women Are Wearing The New York Times Retrieved 2010 01 23 Elliott John Keenlyside Sarah 2005 07 31 Bottom falls out of thong market The Sunday Times London Retrieved 2010 01 23 Clydesdale Lindsay 2008 02 06 So Thong And Thanks For Nothing Daily Records Retrieved 2008 10 03 Websites like the Whale tail World Archived 2016 01 14 at the Wayback Machine listed out their own version of top celebrity whale tails Achor Hayes Tracy 2001 03 13 Waistbands dive to daring new depths Dallas Morning News A H Belo Corporation Retrieved 2009 04 11 Cartner Morley Jess 2008 02 16 One piece in our time The Guardian London Retrieved 2008 10 30 Celebrities Are Showing Off Butt Cleavage ABC News 2009 06 25 Retrieved 2010 12 15 Lichfield John 2003 10 14 Our Man In Paris Thongs of innocence and experience The Independent London Archived from the original on April 11 2008 Retrieved 2008 10 03 a b Sharma Kalpana 2007 07 14 Pssst It s showing The Times of India Bennett Coleman amp Co Ltd Retrieved 2008 10 28 Staff Correspondent 2007 02 05 Sexy doesn t do it anymore The Times of India Bennett Coleman amp Co Ltd Archived from the original on 2009 01 13 Retrieved 2008 10 28 News Desk 2009 04 09 Are they jeans or is it a thong Metro com Associated Newspapers Limited Retrieved 2009 04 11 Whale Tail Thong Dreams AOL Retrieved 2009 04 10 dead link whaletail com Alexa Internet Inc Retrieved 2008 07 29 permanent dead link Jackson Ron Mingle com Meets Banker com In the 40K Club Atop This Week s Sales Chart Domain Name Journal Internet Edge Inc Retrieved 2008 07 29 Nominated for Best Adult Web Site Australian Adult Industry Awards Archived from the original on 2011 07 06 Retrieved 2008 07 29 a b Thomas Bethany 2004 05 13 Memo to Britney Lose the low slungs Weird news NBC News Retrieved 2008 10 27 a b Baggy Pants Bill Blocked in Louisiana Politics Fox News Associated Press 2008 04 22 Retrieved 2008 10 27 a b No more low slung pants in Alexandria International News France24 Agence France Presse 2007 08 30 Archived from the original on 2009 01 16 Retrieved 2008 10 27 Fancy pants just not hip in Atlanta World Agence France Presse 2007 08 30 Retrieved 2008 10 27 a b Parker Laura 2007 09 15 Is It a Crime to Wear Baggy Pants ABC News Retrieved 2008 10 03 Bahrampour Tara 2005 02 11 A Brief Matter of Style The Washington Post Retrieved 2008 10 03 Virginia OKs Fine for Low Rider Pants Fox News 2005 02 09 Retrieved 2008 10 03 Dybdahl Pete 2005 02 10 Don t get caught with your pants down The Roanoke Times Archived from the original on 2013 02 01 Retrieved 2008 10 03 Bowen Jon 1999 03 08 Thong Wars Ivory Towers Archived from the original on 2011 10 24 Retrieved 2008 07 22 Lyons Jessica 2001 09 27 Armed with high ideals Joseph Pawlick enforces a mandate for change at Salinas High whether teachers students and parents want it or not Monterey County Weekly Archived from the original on 2007 06 28 Retrieved 2008 07 22 Mary Spicuzza 2000 09 14 Panty Ranting MetroActive News Retrieved 2008 07 22 Cartner Morley Jess 2005 03 25 Hang up your hipsters The Guardian London Retrieved 2008 10 28 Cartner Morley Jess 2005 04 09 No time to waist The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 2008 10 28 Less Than a Thong More Than Commando A Strapless G String Asylum Archived from the original on 2008 07 25 Retrieved 2008 07 30 Backless underwear Style Dash 2006 09 15 Retrieved 2008 07 30 Lace trim low rise thong Victoria s Secret Archived from the original on 2008 05 31 Retrieved 2008 07 30 DKNY 3 Pack Low Rise Cotton With Lace Thongs Amazon Archived from the original on January 9 2021 Retrieved 2008 07 30 Cavallo Alice 6 February 2023 Why Do We Keep Returning to the 90s Whale Tail Trend L Officiel Retrieved 27 December 2023 SATENSTEIN LIANA 13 September 2017 Thongs Are Making a Very Visible Comeback Vogue Retrieved 6 January 2021 Wade Prudence 21 August 2019 Remember the whale tail The bizarre 90s knicker trend is making a comeback Daily Record Retrieved 6 January 2021 SATENSTEIN LIANA October 2020 Dua Lipa Embraces the Exposed Thong Trend Vogue Retrieved 6 January 2021 Sara Radin 2019 11 13 The Visible G string Is Officially Making Its Comeback Here s What It Means Teen Vogue Blatz Margaret 2020 11 12 This Extremely Controversial 90s Trend Is Making A Splash Again Elite Daily Retrieved 2023 12 27 Reynolds Megan 2021 04 21 If You re Going to Do a Whale Tail Please Do It Right Jezebel Retrieved 2023 12 27 Huber Eliza 2021 06 17 My Week In Whale Tails What It s Really Like Wearing A Visible Thong Refinery 29 Retrieved 2023 12 27 Rambharose Amber 2023 05 17 Whale Tail Skirts Are Back Apparently InStyle Retrieved 2023 12 27 Korean Netizens React to the Viral Visible Thong Trend in K Pop 6 February 2023 Wolfe Rayne 2006 10 17 Stripper chic as scanty styles of dress enter the teen mainstream parents are left wondering where to set limits or if they can The Press Democrat Retrieved 2008 10 28 Thomsen Anisa 2006 10 24 Sexualizing girls The Press Democrat Retrieved 2008 10 28 Masquelier Adeline Marie 2005 Dirt Undress and Difference Critical Perspectives on the Body s Surface in American Anthropological Association Meeting Indiana University Press p 27 ISBN 0 253 21783 0 A rebellion against parents and other adults who seem to have forgotten their own fling with hot pants and the no bra look Buddenberg Laura J Kathleen M McGee 2004 Who s Raising Your Child Boys Town Press pp 61 63 ISBN 1 889322 59 8 Jackson Tim David Shaw 2006 The Fashion Handbook Routledge p 26 ISBN 0 415 25580 5 Steele Valerie 2005 Encyclopedia of clothing and fashion Charles Scribner s Sons p 121 ISBN 0 684 31394 4 Gross anatomy Girls TimeOut New York Archived from the original on 2008 04 02 Retrieved 2008 10 30 Farewell to fashion faux pas of summer Star Tribune Archived from the original on 2008 10 09 Retrieved 2008 10 30 Smith Chrysti M 2003 Verbivore s Feast A Banquet of Word amp Phrase Origins Farcountry Press p 125 ISBN 1 56037 265 6 Partridge Eric 1966 Origins A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English Routledge p 217 ISBN 0 415 05077 4 Words of the Year 2005 PDF American Dialect Society 2006 01 06 Retrieved 2008 10 03 Harlow John 2006 01 08 Hey exogals girl talk is the future of English The Sunday Times London Retrieved 2008 10 03 Showbiz Tonight CNN transcripts CNN 2006 01 16 Retrieved 2008 07 22 a b The Situation Room CNN transcripts CNN 2006 01 16 Retrieved 2008 07 22 Mercer Marsh 2007 01 03 Word of year might be something manly Seattle Post Intelligencer Retrieved 2008 10 03 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Whale tail amp oldid 1222113217, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.