Cultural views on the midriff and navel

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Cultural views on the midriff and navel vary significantly.[citation needed] In some cultures the navel is seen as sexually and culturally significant, and its exposure has been subject to a variety of cultural norms and taboos, based on concepts of modesty.[citation needed] The views, customs and fashions relating to the midriff and navel change from time to time, and such exposure has become more widely acceptable, as reflected in the designs of clothing.[citation needed]

Western culture

The public exposure of the male and female

better source needed
]

Community perceptions have changed and exposure of female midriff and navel is more accepted today and in some societies or contexts it is both fashionable and common, though not without its critics.[citation needed] Although American teenage girls are more likely to wear shirts that reveal their midriffs, this kind of clothing is often banned in high schools and stores.[

barechestedness.[citation needed] Exposure of the navel by females is commonly associated with the popularity of the bikini, the crop top, and low-rise clothing.[citation needed
]

Film

In the United States, the

better source needed
]

Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello in publicity photo for the series of Beach Party films, 1963

During the 1950s,

better source needed] Kim Novak wore a ruby jewel in her navel for the film Jeanne Eagels (1957); saying in an interview, "they had to glue it in every time. I got a terrible infection from it."[7][citation needed] Marilyn Monroe, for a scene from Some Like It Hot (1959), wore a dress that revealed skin everywhere but had a small piece of fabric to hide her navel.[8] (The film was condemned by the National Legion of Decency, but for other reasons.[9][10]
)

By the 1960s, community standards had changed. Marilyn Monroe was allowed to expose her navel in

better source needed] preserve her wholesome persona, though she was the only one of the ample number of young women in the film not bikini-clad.[12] In the 1967 film Follow That Camel, actress Anita Harris wore a jewel on her navel for a belly-dancing sequence.[13][14]
In the 1979 Alien film there was some regret from director James Cameron that Sigourney Weaver's underwear scene which was wearing a cropped shirt exposing her midriff that was called "stepped over the line".[15]

The Hays Code was abandoned soon after, with it the prohibition of female navel exposure and other restrictions. The influence of the National Legion of Decency had also waned by the 1960s. With the withdrawal of the Code and the change to a classification regime, the ban on the exposure of parts of the human body that had previously been regarded as immodest or indecent was withdrawn; and with it, there was an increasing level of body exposure over time. The exposure of the navel ceased to be controversial in the context of a general increase in nudity. In the 2000s,

low rise pants and a cut off crop-top exposing her midriff and belly button was a popular iconic style.[16] During the audition for Transformers, Megan Fox was once told from Michael Bay about the looks of her stomach for the role.[17]


Television

Barbara Eden in a publicity photo of 1960's TV show I Dream of Jeannie

In 1951, the United States Code of Practices for Television Broadcasters came into force, which, besides other things, prohibited female navel exposure on American television.[18] During the 1960s, Barbara Eden was not allowed to show her navel on the NBC TV show I Dream of Jeannie (1965–70).[19][20] Her pants had to be worn above the navel, which became ineffective. After a few frames of her navel exposure went unnoticed, they decided to use fabric and skin-colored makeup to conceal her navel.[21] Her costume became low-rise (without censorship) in 1985[22] and in 2013, 81-year-old Eden attended the Life Ball event in Vienna dressed in the same costume of I Dream of Jeannie but revealing her navel.[23][24][25] In February 1964, Scandinavian Airlines placed an advertisement in newspapers and magazines throughout the United States. It featured a blonde-haired, bikini-clad model exposing her belly button posing on a rock above the caption "What to show your wife in Scandinavia". The image that appeared in most publications had the belly button removed.[26][27]

Raffaella Carrà in Canzonissima, 1970
The Sonny and Cher Show
, 1977

The first exposure of a navel in a TV series occurred in 1961 on the Dr. Kildare series.[28][29] Dawn Wells and Tina Louise were not allowed to expose their navels in Gilligan's Island (1964–67).[30] Wells was required to wear high-waisted shorts that covered her navel.[31][32]

Raffaella Carrà was the first Italian woman and first TV personality to show her belly button on TV in 1970 garnering her criticisms from the Vatican.[33][34] In The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour (1971–74),[35] network censors feared Cher's navel exposure would become a cause célèbre at CBS.[36] Cher once commented, "There were so many things that were censored—ideas and words. All I know is I got in trouble for showing my belly button, and every time I turned around after I went off the air, all you saw were Cheryl Ladd's boobs."[37] People magazine dubbed Cher "Pioneer of the Belly Beautiful".[38]

The U.S. code of practice was suspended in 1983.[39][40]

Music and entertainment

Madonna baring her midriff performing in 1993

Pre-1990

Navel exposure became common in the culture of 20th-century music, with an establishing foothold during the mid-1970s, then becoming more prominent by the following decade, with many successful female popstars[41] having appeared on and offstage and in music videos with their midriff exposed, usually wearing a crop top, including Madonna, during 1983, she caused controversy when she wore a mesh crop top in her video for the song "Lucky Star". People magazine wrote that Madonna made the bare navel her trademark.[38]

Singer/actress

Academy Awards event in 1986. California-based fashion designer Christine Albers commented, "the look is good for anyone who has a great body but especially for women who do a lot of stomach exercises."[42]

Britney Spears wearing a cropped top exposing her midriff and belly button piercing while performing in 2003

1990s and 2000s

During the early 1990s, Canadian country singer Shania Twain appeared in low-rise jeans baring her midriff and navel in her music videos and performances.[43][44][45] It became both the most widely discussed body part in country music and her trademark.[46][47] Shania once commented, "Someone said to me once, 'Well, if I had your belly-button I'd sell 8 million albums too.' But it takes a lot more than a belly-button to sell more than 8 million albums."[48] Jennifer Lopez is believed to have started the trend of exposing the navel on stage and red carpets.[49] People magazine stated, "The 19-year-old hotshot chanteuse behind 'What a Girl Wants', once a Mouseketeer alongside Britney Spears, can't quite pull off pop star flash without belly-flopping."[50] In 2001, the editors of

Venus or Aphrodite. We ask which is more beautiful, the perfectly round belly button of Jane Fonda or Raquel Welch's grain of coffee navel? Every star from Madonna to Shakira proudly displays their belly button."[56][57]

On the contrary, American columnist Kathleen Parker in an article about Katharine Hepburn once commented, "Young movie-going girls today don't have access to many in the mold of Katharine Hepburn. Instead by mall observations most are Britney wannabes—hip-hugged, tattooed, pierced and out there. The female navel has become the refrigerator man's continental divide. I hate to break it to you, oh future daughters-in-law, but everybody's got a belly button. Your inney- or outey-ness is not the stuff either of revelation or revolution."[58]

Fashion

Gigi Hadid wearing a midriff baring crop top which exposes her outie belly button

Exposed midriff is associated with the

plunging neckline
dress or top that drops below the natural waist line. Low-rise clothing began in the early 1990s, when the British magazine
low-rise jeans on its March 1993 issue cover.[59] Models such as Gisele Bündchen frequently flash their midriffs.[60] In 1994, Art Cooper, editor-in-chief of GQ magazine said that his big seller in 1994 was the February issue with Geena Davis on the cover, on which she wore an Armani suit opened at the hips to reveal her navel,[61] It sold about 400,000 copies. He stated, "Part of the success is the navel factor. I think the belly button is really an erogenous zone."[62]

Sportswear

Swimwear

Ivet Lalova in a sports bikini
with her navel tattoo
See also: History of the bikini

Displays of the female navel commenced with the introduction of the bikini in 1946, designed by Louis Réard,[63] though two-piece swimsuits that exposed the midriff but covered the navel appeared in the 1930s. Réard could not find a model who would dare wear his brief design, so he hired Micheline Bernardini, a 19-year-old nude dancer from the Casino de Paris, as his model.[64][65] Acceptance of the new-style swimsuit was very slow, and the bikini was not regarded as suitable clothing beyond the beach or pool. During the 1960s, Mary Quant's designs featured exposed navels and bare midriffs.[66] Exposure of the male navel was limited well into the 1960s. Swimwear covered the lower abdomen and usually the navel. Occasionally the swimwear would be worn immediately below the navel. The swimwear evolved to longer legs and lower waistline. Male swimwear could neither be worn above the navel nor below the knee in events of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).[67]

Sports bikinis

Bikinis have become a major component of marketing of various women's sports,

Ivet Lalova is known for her "tribal sun" tattoo around her navel.[69] Croatian athlete Blanka Vlašić is famous for her navel piercing.[70][71]

Sydney McLaughlin
's midriff baring uniform while running during the 4 × 400 metres relay in Oregon 2022

Golf

belly button of Paula Creamer
after she takes a swing

In Golf, dress codes prohibts shirts from exposing the midriff.[72][73]

Track and field

Modern Olympics uniforms began with simple cotton tank tops for women beginning in 1900, when they started competing.[74] In the 1990s, track and field athletes started to wear midriff-baring uniforms.[75][76]

Uniforms in a beach handball game between Denmark and Norway

Beach sports

Woman athletes' uniforms often include bikini bottoms. By comparison, men wear polo shirts instead of being bare-chested. This became controversial in 2021, when the Norwegian Beach Handball team refused to wear bikini bottoms and was fined 150 euros (about $175) per player. In beach volleyball, players do not mind wearing skimpy uniforms because of the conditions.[77][78][79][80]

Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders

Cheerleading

The fashion later became increasingly popular through wearing styles, with tops comprising modified sports bras without additional outergarments, sports bikinis, and cheerleading style fashions. These developed largely from the styles originating with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders in the early 1970s.[81]

Tennis

2023 DC Open
.

Female tennis players are known for exposing their navels or navel piercings on court.[82][83] American tennis player Serena Williams was noted by the media for exposing her belly button piercing during her matches.[84][85][86] Retired Russian tennis player Anna Kournikova was also known for frequent navel exposure during her matches.[87][88][89] In 2009, in an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel, she said, "These are men's ravings. Why you should hide it, when it isn't necessary? Female beach volleyball players play in bikinis – does it bother anyone?"[90] American female golfer Laura Diaz, commenting on the Ladies Professional Golf Association for Sports Illustrated, said: "The LPGA needs to acknowledge that a lot of people watch women's sports more for the women than for the sports. Why else would Anna Kournikova, who has never won a singles title, be the most popular player in women's tennis? We have quite a few attractive women, and we should use our looks to our advantage. After all, what's so wrong with seeing an occasional belly button?"[91][92]

American football

Males often wear no shirt with low-rise shorts during practice in American football. Cropped jerseys were worn during 1980s broadcasts. Cropped jerseys became dormant for 20 years until male athletes returned to midriff exposure[93] for comfort purposes. However, the NCAA placed an official ban on navel exposure in 2015.[94] The National Football League has long had a ban on navel exposure, requiring jerseys to be tucked in. The NFL banned Ezekiel Elliott's crop top in September 2016.

Mediterranean, Hebrew and Middle Eastern cultures

Literature and philosophy

Marrakesh in Morocco

In the Hebrew Bible the Song of Songs emphasizes the navel as an important element of a woman's beauty.[95][96] It contains imagery similar to that in the love songs of ancient Egyptian literature.[95] Song of Songs 7:2 states: "Your navel is a rounded bowl."[97] The verse preceding the line mentioning the navel (Song of Songs 7:1) states, "your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of a master hand",[97] ) and the verse following states, "Your belly is a heap of wheat."[97] Thus the treatment of the navel appears placed textually in between the description of the curves of a woman through thigh and the stomach or midriff.[96] "Belly" also suggests the womb, and the combination of the imagery of the womb with that of wheat suggests the link between eroticism and fertility through the imagery of the navel and curvaceous thighs.[96] These passages also celebrate a curvaceous stomach and midriff and plumpness as aspects of female physical attractiveness.[96] The ancient Mediterranean,

Mesopotamian people, was often described[by whom?] as the "navel".[98] This usage expressed connotations of the prominence of the location and the way it was seen to function as a place of centrality and as a link between earth and the heavens and the Universe.[98] The Ancient Greeks regarded the conical stone Omphalos (meaning "navel") located at Delphi as the center of the earth.[98]

In a similar vein,

Samaritan tradition sees Mount Gerizim as the navel of the earth, the only place not submerged in the deluge in the account of Noah's Ark.[98] The phrase "navel of the earth" occurs in (Ezek 38:12; Judg 9:37) Aramaic tibbur ("navel") and the concept recurs in Ezek 16:4.[98] According to Samaritan tradition, God made Adam from the dust of Mount Gerizim.[100][need quotation to verify] The belly-dancing tradition of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures also celebrates the navel.[101] When Pope Urban II called (1095) for the First Crusade, he referred to Jerusalem as "the navel of the world".[102]

Bans and controversies

In Egypt, dancing in public with an uncovered navel is illegal, so many dancers wear a body stocking or netting to cover their skin.[103] An Egyptian singer named Ruby upset members of parliament and the TV authority, resulting in a ban on music videos showing a woman's navel.[104][105][106]

Indian culture

Ancient times

Didarganj Yakshi, a sculpture of a woman in navel-exposing attire.
Depiction of Vishnu as Padmanabha or 'The Lotus-navelled One' on the cover of the Hindu religious text Vishnu Purana published by Gita Press. According to Hindu belief, the creator deity Brahma manifested out from the lotus which grew on Vishnu's navel, for which Brahma is referred as Padmayoni or 'The One born from the Lotus'.

While the West was relatively resistant to

Ghagra Cholis.[110] These women often cover their heads with dupattas,[111] and may cover their faces in front of strangers with ghoonghats. There is a belief associated with the religious in India that navel-baring has a symbolic, almost mystical, association with birth and life, and that the display is meant to emphasize the centrality of nature in the nurture role.[112] In ancient Indian tradition, the navel of the god Vishnu is considered to be the center of the universe and the source of life.[113] From his navel a new world emerges. This has been depicted in many ancient Indian sculptures as a lotus emerging from the navel on which god Brahma is seated.[114][115]

Although women in ancient India wore saris that bared the midriff, the

Dharmasastra writers stated that women should be dressed such that the navel was never visible,[116] and navel exposure became taboo.[117] The trend of exposing the navel was started by women who were dancers, acrobats, or entertainers, and who developed a technique of wearing the sari like a pair of trousers well below the navel to assist in the free movement of the legs.[118] Women in this type of attire are very common in many ancient Indian sculptures,[119] and paintings.[120]

Indian sculpture emphasised the centrality and sexuality that emanated from the depiction of the woman's navel. One of the most stunning examples would be

buttocks, and a deep navel.[123] According to Indian physiognomy, if a woman's navel is deep, she is popular and loved by her husband. A broad, fleshy, shallow navel indicates a lucky woman. A woman with deep navel with a whirl to the right side is considered auspicious and is expected to lead a comfortable life.[124][125] Famous Indian painter M. F. Husain once commented, "The belly button has always been in. It has been an intrinsic part of the Indian woman. It has been part of Indian sculptures that go back so many centuries. That is why so many years ago, even in the 50s, all my works had women show their belly buttons."[126][127][128]

Recent times

With their migration to different countries, many Indian women began to wear the normal sari below the waistline, exposing the navel in a style known as a

Telugu cinema.[143][144][145][146]
In ancient Indian tradition, the navel of Lord Vishnu is considered to be the source of life and creativity. It is considered to be a symbol of birth and life. That means in ancient India, women would wear sari that bared their midriffs.[147]

Indian television actors have followed suit, wearing saris that expose more skin, including the navel, with viewers mimicking the styles.[148]

Some women wear navel jewels or navel piercings to emphasize the navel and enhance its appeal.[143][149][150] Another option is using bindis to decorate the navel.[151][152][153] Tattoos near or below the navel were becoming popular in cities such as Pune in early 2012.[154] Actresses Mandira Bedi and Chhavi Mittal are known for their unique tattoos on their navels.[155][156][157]

Sometimes the low-rise style is modified, with the navel being covered by the pallu when wearing a low-rise non-transparent sari. In some corporations in India, saris are required to be worn in a manner that avoids navel exposure.[158] Anita Gupta, Senior Vice-president at J. Walter Thompson in Chennai commented that formal wear for woman should not expose the navel.[159]

Indian cinema

Indian actresses have expressed comfort with the practice of exposing their navels in film, preferring it to showing cleavage and calling it uncontroversial.[160][161]

Bollywood

Priyanka Chopra on the ramp for Mijwan fashion show

Female dancers of

Richa Chadda had commented in an event that she was asked during a shoot to reveal her navel in high-waisted pants.[189][190]

South Indian

South Indian actresses such as

Tamannaah, Shriya Saran, Pooja Hegde etc., are known for exposing their slimmed-down midriffs in song sequences.[193][194]

Tamil cinema

During the 1990s, scenes focusing on the female protagonist's navel were common in

belly fetish
.

In his review of Isai (2015), film critic Baradwaj Rangan stated that "Sulagna brings to mind the heroines of a certain era who were chosen not because they had beautiful eyes or a bewitching smile but because of the quiver-quotient of their navel when confronted by a close-up."[204] Film critic Sudhir Srinivasan wrote in a review for the 2016 film Aranmanai 2, "The emphasis is not so much on making a horror story that is novel, than it is on fixating on the heroine's navel."[205]

Telugu cinema

Of the South Indian film industries,

Mahesh Kathi commented that Telugu cinema has a long history of "fondness for the navel", citing old South Indian temple architecture, which features numerous prominent displays of navels in their carvings, and calling such displays a "South Indian aesthetic sensibility". He continued, "Cinematically, while cleavage is just a peek at the bosom, the navel encompasses the woman's entire sensuality."[208]
The 1978 film Maro Charitra was the first to feature the scene where a top spins on the female protagonist's navel.[209]

Veteran Telugu film director

Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao's movies always have guaranteed navel show of the heroines.[210] He used to include the navel of the heroine in every possible frame[211] and exploit it in song sequences such as dropping of water, flowers, fruits, ice cubes etc., on the navel.[212] Prominent Telugu actor and director Dasari Narayana Rao had once commented, "When you see a heroine slightly removing her pallu to show her inside assets, you don't feel ashamed of it because of the artistic way in which Ragahvendra Rao projects it on the screen. Especially heroines' navels look most beautiful in his movies."[213][214][215]
Telugu actor and politician Chiranjeevi had commented in a TV show, "If you want to know about fruits, you have to do one film with director K. Raghavendra Rao. He used to put all the fruits around the heroine's navel (boddu)."[216][217] In 2016, actress Pragya Jaiswal had requested Raghavendra Rao to have a shot with fruits and flowers on her navel as part of a song sequence. She told in an interview, "That's the third day of shooting with KRR sir and we're canning a song. But actually he's not making any flower or fruit thrown at my navel or waist, that's why I took courage to ask him to hit my navel with them."[218][219]

The 2013 Telugu film Action 3D paid tribute to Raghavendra Rao with a song featuring his symbolic acts on the female protagonist's navel.[220][221][222] A song sequence in the 2012 Telugu spoof film Sudigadu features the main protagonist dropping a watermelon and a pumpkin on the female protagonist's navel.[223][224] Actress Monal Gajjar who has acted in the scene had commented on an interview, "When the hero throws it on my tummy I am supposed to scream with a strange sound and they told me they are not real, all are toy fruits."[225]

Bengali cinema

The navel culture is moderately popular in Bengali industry. Though during the last decade it has been popularised. During the 1990s, actresses like

Madhumita Sarkar showed her navel in the movie Love Aaj Kal Porshu. Madhumita has started full-fledged navel showing in recent times as almost all of her recent posts in social media clearly show her navel. Actress Ritabhari Chakraborty is also known for exposing her navel in her toned abs and mostly ultra-low waist dresses. Actresses like Bibriti Chatterjee and Rii Sen are known for baring their navel piercings in their pics. Besides actresses like Paoli Dam, Sayantika Banerjee, Tanusree Chakraborty, Koushani Mukherjee, Rittika Sen
has done occasional navel exposures.

Contradictions

The

Indian cinema has created some limitations on "vulgar" visuals, such as restricting zoom shots of the navel, kissing the navel, and squeezing the navel and waist. These limitations had been implemented during the 1990s.[226][page needed][227][228][229] Many films have faced censor cuts for navel scenes.[230][231][232][233]

Many actors have expressed mixed views on the display of and emphasis of the navel. Some feel displaying the midriff or navel cannot be considered exposing when compared to Hollywood films.

Krishna Vamsi commented, "All film-makers have problems with the censors. They sometimes object to showing the navel of a woman when, in other films, it is allowed. We cannot even question them. The censors should give us general rules in writing as to what is allowed and what is not, instead of taking decisions according to their whims and fancies."[238] Actor R. Madhavan commented, "I have often been embarrassed to see certain films I have done. ... when I see myself kissing a dancing heroine's navel in some films, I feel ashamed."[239] Actress Taapsee Pannu commented, "I believe the navel is overrated. I think sensuality can be expressed in other ways."[208] Bengali actress Swastika Mukherjee said, "I am not very comfortable though I have tried wearing a lehenga choli with a stick-on in my navel."[161] Many actresses have opted to hide their navels by wearing trikinis for beach or pool scenes.[240][241]

Japanese culture

Dogū figurine of the late Jōmon period with the navel indicated with a deep indentation.

Early times

Japanese women performing a traditional Japanese dance Yosakoi in navel-exposing attire in the Yosakoi Matsuri 2006 at Kōchi

Japan has long had a special regard for the navel. During the early Jōmon period in northern Japan, three small balls indicating the breasts and navel were pasted onto flat clay objects to represent the female body. The navel was exaggerated in size, informed by the belief that the navel symbolizes the center of where life begins. On many middle Jomon figurines, the significance of the navel was emphasized with an indentation or hole. Sometimes, the importance of the navel was further enhanced by connecting with a line from the navel towards the chest.[242] Early Japanese poems feature many references to the female navel. In some, the word navel actually refers to an indentation or hole instead of the belly button.[243][244] The shape of the umbilicus of a newborn baby would be discussed at length. If a baby's navel points downward, the parents would brace themselves for a weakling child who will bring them woe. The thunder god Raijin, with his terrifying drums, great horns, and long tusks, was said to have an insatiable appetite for young navels, and mothers had to nag their youngsters constantly to keep themselves well covered up.[245] Due to the mythology, navel exposure was not encouraged in the earlier times. The traditional clothing of Japanese women has a wide cloth belt around the midriff to protect the belly and keep it warm. The Japanese believe the belly is the source of person's warmth and that the perfect navel is an innie.[246]

Modern times

Although navel exposure has become a recent trend in fashion in Japan, annual Heso Matsuri ("belly button festivals")[247] have been held in Japan since the late 1960s. The tradition of the Hokkaido Heso Odori ("belly button dance") began in 1968.[248] Dancers make their heso ("belly button") into a face, using paint, special costumes, and props. Many variations of the dance have been developed, leading to competitions among dancers, who compete for prizes in various categories.[249][250]

A similar type festival is held at

Shibukawa, north of Tokyo. The idea was formed based on the location of Shibukawa, which is also referred to as the "Belly Button of Japan". The festival is based on a traditional Japanese form of entertainment where revelers paint a face on their torsos and stomachs to appear as a head. A kimono is wrapped around the waist, and the person's real head is hidden by a large cloth hat. The belly button is traditionally painted into a mouth. In recent years, modern motifs and Japanese anime designs have appeared in the festival.[251][252]

Sri Lankan culture

7th-century Sigiriya frescoes depicting women in navel-exposed attire

Ancient times

Sinhalese women performing a traditional Sri Lankan dance in navel-exposing attire

Sigiriya frescoes depict royal ladies wearing cloth draped as a dhoti, tied in a knot at the front and pulled down to expose the navel. They wear pleated robes from the waist upwards, as well a necklace, armlets, wristlets, ear and hair ornaments, and display their breasts. The ladies in waiting wear waist clothes, a few ornaments and a firm thanapatiya ("breast bandage").[253]

In the Sinhalese poetic work Kaviyasekara, a father advises his married daughter as to proper clothing, "Dress your garment above your navel, without exposing the fair bosom, and expose not your teeth in laughing."[254]

In his work Daily Code for the Laity (1898), the Buddhist leader Anagarika Dharmapala wrote that a sari blouse must be long, fully covering a woman's breasts, midriff, navel, and back.[255]

Recent times

In the 1980s and 1990s, a visible navel was very rare. By the late 1990s, the Bollywood connection and the media and technological changes that occurred in India had influenced Sri Lanka's fashion outlook, with the navel becoming a focus in the modern Sri Lankan wardrobe.[256] Sri Lankan films commonly depict the women of the country's earliest history as scantily clad with exposed navels, and the country has become more open to the topic in general.[256] In Nov 2015, Western Province Chief Minister Isura Devapriya stated that a school dress code for students and teachers would be issued requiring that the navel be covered. However, the Ceylon Teachers Union President Joseph Stalin condemned it and commented, "We condemn this statement. It is an anachronistic proposal. We see nothing wrong with teachers wearing sarees below the belly button. It may be that there is something wrong with Mr. Devapriya’s eye sight. We like to ask the Chief Minister whether the belly button is the main concern facing the education sector in the Western Province".[257]

Indonesian culture

Agnez Mo in navel exposing attire at the 2004 AMI Awards

In 2004, the President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono spoke out against exposed navels, saying, "Indonesian women, who are known for their courtesy, should refrain from exposing their midriffs or belly buttons, which now seems to be taken for granted. There are many ways to express beauty, as part of aesthetics, and to express freedom but not by showing things that lead to pornography." He further added that while the state could not dictate dress codes, citizens were expected to respect the country's moral values and courtesy. A week later, a cabinet minister quoted Yudhoyono as saying that he felt "disturbed and uneasy" to see television shows in which women exposed their navels.[258][259]

In 2006, Agus Suwage, an Indonesian artist, installed his Pinkswing Park exhibit at Jakarta's international biennale. The exhibit was surrounded by massive panels with multiple pictures of a near-naked man and woman frolicking in a park. Within days of the exhibition's launch, Islamic fundamentalists had descended on the biennale, forcing its closure and demanding prosecutions. At first police claimed his work blasphemed the story of Adam and Eve; a few weeks later they told Suwage he faced five years in jail for producing pornography. The Indonesian parliament decided to introduce a sweeping anti-pornography law. The law imposes a rigid social template; couples who kiss in public will face up to five years' jail, as would anyone flaunting a "sensual body part"—including their navel—and tight clothing will be outlawed.[260][261][262] Due to this new anti-pornography law, topless bathing and surfing on the beaches of Bali, a common practice among tourists, would also be prohibited. The law would also affect older tribal women, who often still walk topless.[261][263][264] The introduction of a bill was attacked by women's rights campaigners in the country, who fear it is the first step towards the implementation of Islamic Sharia law.[265][266]

Despite these laws,

advertisements.[269]

Korean culture

Traditionally, Korean women are expected to dress modestly. The traditional wear such as Hanbok cover the entire body.[270]

South Korean singer Yuri performing at KBS Hope Concert in January 2013

1990s

During the 1990s, the fashion trend among young South Korean women for wearing cropped T-shirts that leave the midriff exposed had started, due to the hot climatic conditions. The trend spread to create changes in female fashion such that when a policeman in Gwangju arrested two young women for flaunting their belly buttons in the street, the judge threw the case out, ruling that the flashing of a female navel was not indecent.[271] It further became popular due to Korean pop culture, where K-pop stars started wearing body piercings[272] and midriff-exposing shirts.[273][unreliable source?] In July 1997, the South Korean broadcaster KBS announced tough new rules for pop stars appearing on TV. One among the many limitations was "no exposing of navels".[274]

2000s

During the 2000s, it became common among young women to expose their belly buttons by rolling up their shirts similar to a crop top. During sport events such as football, the female audience apply body paints or temporary tattoos around their belly buttons.

Yoona, a member of Korean girl band Girls' Generation, caused a minor controversy by revealing an exposed midriff featuring a protruding cantaloupe-like outie navel, which started a spirited discussion and polarized opinions on the Chinese-language internet.[282][283][unreliable source?
]

Although, the formal wear is expected to cover the stomach and belly button.[284]

Malay models in attire that covers the navel at a fashion show in Kuala Lumpur in April 2011

Malaysian culture

In 2005, Vivienne, a virtual girlfriend created by software maker Artificial Life Inc. of

Beyoncé Knowles from performing in navel-exposing attire in 2007.[287][288] Beyoncé canceled the show amid opposition from local groups, calling the cancellation a result of a "scheduling conflict".[289]

Views in alternative medicine from antiquity

Saint Thomas Aquinas considered the navel as the "bodily metaphor for spiritual things".[290]

Alternative medicine

Manipura chakra that represents the navel

Indian medicine

In Indian traditional medicine, the

labour pain and perform normal delivery.[295]

According to

fire.[297][page needed][298][299][300] Vayu or vital wind as specified in Ayurveda, is divided into five sub categories. Of these, Samāna Vayu, situated in the navel region, is believed to aid in digestion and give physical strength to the body.[301][302]

According to Ayurvedic principles,

navel displacement
is a condition in which the navel center shifts. This might create digestive disorders. Proper practice of yoga is considered to be a remedy to realigning the navel.[303]

Sri Lankan medicine

In Sri Lanka traditional medicine, a composition of herbs, powdered pepper, and water is applied as a paste to the navel as a remedy for stomach aches.

betel leaf is placed on the woman's navel, which is believed to be under a spell.[305]

Russian medicine

Laying

reindeer lichen on the navel were considered by Russian women to make the delivery of a child fast and painless.[306]

Chinese medicine

In the Chinese art of acupuncture, the navel is sometimes referred to as 神阙 (shénquè, roughly translating to divine imperfection or mark of the ancestors). Often, the navel is used as a moxibustion point. However, the navel itself is not used in acupuncture due to the likelihood of infection.[citation needed]

See also

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