wifebeaters Re: Closets and Wardrobes

[Carol]

Potioncat:
> And now from a younger point of view. My daughter (18)says the
garment is called "beater"---they've dropped the wife. As in, "Mom,
did you wash my pink beater?" Girls also call them tank tops because
it is the same garment in different colors. Girls wear both the actual
men's undergarment and tanktops.
> 
> Guys wear white or black beaters. All sorts of guys wear them, there
isn't any connotation. 

Carol:
Thanks, Potioncat, and tell your daughter thanks, too. What about your
sons? And men only wear black or white? There goes my idea of changing
the color to gray. Still, "black beater" sounds much better than
"black wifebeater." (The only problem would be conveying the meaning
to older, more sheltered readers, like Lee, Geoff, and me. Then,
again, how likely are we to be reading a romance novel aimed at much
younger readers as anything but a manuscript to be edited?)

Potioncat:
> Who would have thought that a humble undergarment worn by working
class men would become a versatile fashion accessary. So the bigger
question becomes, would you keep your beater in the chest of drawers,
or the wardrobe?

Carol:
Love your sense of humor, Potioncat. I wonder if "Accio Potioncat!"
would zoom you to Arizona to keep me company and cheer me up when I
become frustrated over questions like this (or simple mechanical
errors; this writer is addicted to comma splices).
> 
> Carol, if this book is ever published, I want to read it. Just
because of all our input for the one word.

Carol:
If it's published, I'll let you know. Heck, I'll request my own free copy!

Carol, thanking Potioncat for the input and the laugh