wifebeaters Re: Closets and Wardrobes

[Carol]

Potioncat:
> It's a specific type of undershirt. The A style, without sleeves. It 
> used to be a man's undershirt and I think the term has a stereotypic 
> ethnic connotation. 
> 
> Since you mention it's black, I assume a woman is wearing it. That 
> style shirt is popular with teens and comes in different colors. 
> Sometimes worn as a shirt with another shirt unbuttoned over it, or 
> showing at the neck line. 
> 
> Personally, I'd be careful with the term. Unless it's being used in 
> dialogue. But I tend to overcompensate for this sort of thing.
>
Carol:
It's a man who's wearing it, the point being that it reveals his
muscles, and it's not in dialogue. And I think you're right about the
ethnic origin based on the bit of research I did when I first
encountered the term. It seems to suggest the same kind of misogynist
attitude that's sometimes encountered in rap.)

And, for the sake of discussion, if this term isn't generally
considered offensive, why isn't it? It's almost as if using the term
condones wifebeating (manly men wear sexy shirts and beat their
wives). Does anyone see what I'm getting at? It doesn't seem like the
kind of term that *ought* to be legitimized.  

I agree that "undershirt" isn't the right term because undershirts are
often, if not usually, white, and can be either T-shirts or A-shirts
(a term I also hadn't heard till I did this bit of research). Would
"tank top" do, or is that outdated and/or for women? (Maybe the guy
should just take off his shirt and be done with it!)

Carol, hoping that other readers will chime in, including those
unfamiliar with the term