Tank tops are one of the longest-standing staples of men’s fashion. One particular version, the ribbed, often white, sleeveless undershirt, has endured as both an undergarment and outerwear for almost a century. Unfortunately, so has its distasteful nickname: the “wife beater.”
The term is so common today that you may not think twice about saying it. Many people don’t. At the same time, when you stop to think about it, it’s undoubtedly an uncomfortable phrase. It may even be enough to make you rethink wearing one.
While there’s nothing wrong with the garment itself, it’s time to retire that name. Here’s a closer look at why.
Where Does the Term Come From?
The ribbed, white tank top first emerged in 1935 when sock company Cooper’s Inc. released it as the “A-shirt.” Short for “athletic shirt,” the A-shirt was meant to stop sweat from damaging men’s dress shirts, which was a particular problem for working-class men. The concept quickly caught on, and many companies were making A-shirts before long, though its unfortunate nickname didn’t come until later.
Most people point to the 1947 arrest of James Hartford Jr. as the beginning of the name. Hartford had fatally beaten his wife, and a picture in a newspaper showed him in an A-shirt with the caption “the wife-beater.”
1951’s “A Streetcar Named Desire” further solidified this association. Marlon Brando’s character, a violent man who hits his wife, wears one throughout much of the film. Even then, though, the term “wife beater” hadn’t quite caught on. That trend took off in the 1990s as the shirt became associated with rap and gay cultures.
What We Call It Matters
When most people call A-shirts by their more common nickname today, they probably don’t mean anything by it. Still, regardless of people’s intentions, using that term reinforces harmful stereotypes. For one, it normalizes domestic abuse by treating such a violent act as such a casual name.
This is especially harmful when you consider the shirt’s cultural place as an image of masculinity. Defining aggression and violence as normal masculine traits takes away from how serious these issues are. This toxic masculinity also leads people to neglect men’s mental health, which can have serious consequences down the road.
Beyond normalizing domestic abuse, the term “wife beater” also associates violence with groups where these shirts are popular. This trend goes back to the A-shirt’s early days. In the mid-20th century, people attached anti-immigrant slurs to the shirt, as it was a popular choice for poorer, working-class Italian men.
The 1990s, when “wife beater” became the common slang term for the shirt, are another example of this. As mentioned earlier, these shirts were commonly associated with gay and rap subcultures at the time. Tying a phrase like “wife beater” to marginalized groups associates people who already face discrimination with violence, further elevating harmful stereotypes.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Something needs to change, and the problem isn’t with the shirt itself. It’s a handy way to protect your nicer shirts from sweat, as was its original purpose. The shirt can stay, but its nickname has to go.
This can be challenging when something is as long-standing and ingrained in our culture as the term “wife beater” is. People have been calling it that for years, so it can be hard to stop. It doesn’t help that there aren’t many alternatives that flow as easily as that term. “Ribbed white tank top” is too long for common use.
Just referring to it as a “tank top” may be enough, and people can probably understand what you specifically mean from context. Alternatively, bringing back “A-shirt” could work too, especially since that has even fewer syllables than “wife beater” and doesn’t refer to anything else.
Thankfully, the term is already on its way out as people have become more aware of these issues. In recent years, fashion companies have marketed these shirts more towards women, too. Reversing the stereotype could help move away from harmful names and associations.
Language Matters, Even When Talking About Clothes
At first, it may not seem like what you call a shirt matters all that much. It’s just a phrase, after all. However, since using that phrase can tie groups of people with stereotypes and normalize violence, however unintentionally, it is a big deal.
Language can have large ripple effects, even if we don’t notice them outright. Whether it’s what you call a tank top or something else, it’s time that we take more care with what we say.
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This post has been republished to Medium.
