A "wifebeater" anecdote

[Carol]

In the interests of research, I related my copyediting dilemma to the
twenty-something assistant manager of my apartment complex and asked
if she could suggest any alternatives for readers in her age group to
the term "wifebeater." After listening sympathetically and giving the
matter a bit of thought, she suggested "muscle shirt."

A few minutes later, having paid my rent and deposited my paycheck in
the wrong order, I was standing in line at the grocery store, waiting
for the young man ahead of me to return empty-handed after looking for
an item he'd forgotten that the store was out of.

He apologized politely for making me wait and I said I didn't mind,
and then I realized what he was wearing--a grey, ribbed sleeveless,
scoop-necked shirt that I would call a tank top. He looked like a
college student, maybe twenty, but he had to be slightly older since
he was buying beer.

Gathering my courage, I said, "Excuse me. What would you call the
shirt you're wearing?"

He looked a bit surprised and slightly amused by the question and said
tentatively, "Do you really want to know?"

I lowered my voice, made sure that no one could hear me except the
young man, his male friend of the same age (who was wearing a black
T-shirt), and the grocery clerk, a woman of about fifty. "Wifebeater?"
I asked.

Again, he looked surprised. I explained why I was asking, and he said,
"Well, it's an A-shirt."

His friend piped up with, "Call it a 'wifebeater.'"

I must have looked distressed because he added, "Or a 'WB.'"

"Would readers know what that meant?" I asked.

He nodded.

I said, "What about 'tank' or 'muscle shirt'?"

"Tank top," the first young man said.

"Tank tops aren't just for women?"

"Tank top," he repeated.

"I'm glad to know that they come in gray," I said and lowered my voice
to a whisper. "'Black wifebeater' doesn't sound right."

The young men, who had finished buying their groceries and loading
them in the cart, roared with laughter and continued laughing as they
left the store.

The grocery clerk said. "Wait till they have a couple of beers
tonight. You're going to be the topic of conversation all night long."

Which is undoubtedly true. I don't think they even need the beer.

Still, though, the first young man did hesitate to tell me, sensing
either from my age or my sex or the combination that I might find the
term offensive.

Carol, who will give the reasons for her concern, suggest "tank top"
and "muscle shirt" as possible alternatives, and leave the decision up
to the client