Whale tail
Whale tail is the Y-shaped rear portion of a
Low-waisted trousers, such as low-rise jeans or
The word was selected by the American Dialect Society in January 2006 as the "most creative word" of 2005.
History
The rising popularity of low-rise jeans led to increased exposure of thong tops in the early 2000s.
Rise
By the mid-2000s, whale tails became common to celebrities, providing opportunities to the
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".
Legal debates
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
Decline
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.
Resurgence
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.
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
Attributing whale tails to mainstreaming of the
One conjecture assumes that the style of exposed thong may have "bubbled-up" from the
Word of the year
"Whale tail" was selected in January 2006 as the "most creative word" of 2005 by the
While discussing these new coinages,
See also
- Buttock cleavage
- Camel toe
- Crop top
- Muffin top
- Panty line
- Sagging
- Social impact of thong underwear
- Underwear as outerwear
- Upskirt
- Wardrobe malfunction
References
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- ^ 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."
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- ^ 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.
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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.
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- hot pantsand the no-bra look.
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