midriff

File:Caroline Polachek at The Warfield 2023.jpg performing with her midriff exposed in 2023.]]In fashion, the midriff is the human abdomen. The midriff is exposed when wearing a crop top or some forms of swimwear or underwear.

Etymology

"Midriff" is a very old term in the English language, coming into use before 1000 AD.{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Midriff|title=Midriff|website=Dictionary.com}}

In Old English it was written as "{{Lang|ang|midhrif}}", with the old word "{{Lang|ang|hrif}}" literally meaning stomach;{{cite web|last=Harper|first=Douglas R.|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=midriff|title=Midriff|website=Online Etymology Dictionary|orig-date=2001|date=2022}} in Middle English, it was "{{Lang|enm|mydryf}}". The word fell into obsolescence after the 18th century.

The word was revived in 1941 by the fashion industry, partly to avoid use of the word "belly" which genteel women considered undesirable in reference to their bodies, as it has connotations of obesity.

Culture and history

= Western culture =

== 1930s–1970s ==

File:Young women of Naples in swimsuit, Italy 1948.jpg

In some cultures, exposure of the midriff is socially discouraged or even banned, and Western culture has historically been hesitant in the use of midriff-baring styles. Bill Blass commented:

It is too difficult. Women will much more readily wear bare-back or plunging-neckline styles.{{cite news|last=Morris|first=Bernardine|title=Baring Midriffs: A Little, a Lot or Not?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/30/news/baring-midriffs-a-little-a-lot-or-not.html |access-date=20 March 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 30, 1993|url-access=subscription}}

It was introduced to fashion in 1932 by Madeleine Vionnet when she offered an evening gown with strategically cut openings at the waist.

Women's swimwear of the 1930s and 1940s incorporated increasing degrees of midriff exposure.

Teen magazines of the late 1940s and 1950s featured similar designs of midriff-baring suits and tops. However, midriff fashion was stated as only for beaches and informal events and considered indecent to be worn in other public situations.

Beginning in the late 1940s, school dress codes in the United States started to ban bare midriffs.{{cite book |last1=Mitchell |first1=Claudia |url=https://archive.org/details/girlcultureencyc0000unse |title=Girl Culture: Studying girl culture: a readers' guide Volume 1 of Girl Culture: An Encyclopedia |last2=Reid-Walsh |first2=Jacqueline |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-313-33909-7 |page=702 |url-access=registration}}

However, exposure of the female midriff and navel was widely brought into everyday Western women's fashion in the 1960s' sexual revolution and later with the popularity of halters, tube tops and crop tops in the 1970s.

The cheerleading style fashions developing largely from the styles originating with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders in the early 1970s also played a crucial role in the popularity of midriff fashion at middle and high schools.{{cite book |last1=Delaney |first1=Tim |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_leJMTGB3OoC&pg=PA148 |title=Sports: Why People Love Them! |last2=Madigan |first2=Tim |publisher=University Press of America |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-7618-4489-1 |page=148}}

== 1980s–1990s ==

File:Janet Tour.jpg baring her midriff in 1995]]

During the 1980s, pop star Madonna appeared in bare midriff looks in her performances and music videos, which helped in spreading this fashion widely.{{cite news|first=Julia |last=Baird|title=What happened to Madonna|url=http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/what-happened-to-madonna-20120330-1w2s0.html|access-date=8 April 2012|newspaper=The Age|date=April 1, 2012}}

The popularity of the bare midriff continued well due to low-rise fashion which started in the early 1990s when the British magazine The Face in its March 1993 issue cover featured Kate Moss in low-rise jeans.{{cite news |first=Rebecca |last=Mead |date=10 May 1993 |title=Navel Maneuvers |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ziUAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA26 |access-date=11 August 2011 |work=New York Magazine |page=26}} At the same time, the wide acceptance of navel display in Western societies, navel piercing{{cite book|last=Manlow|first=Veronica|url={{GBurl|id=hRHUOxramGEC|q=navel+ring+saree}} |title=Designing Clothes: Culture and Organization of the Fashion Industry |publisher=Transaction Publishers|year=2009|isbn=978-1-4128-1055-5}} and navel tattoos{{cite book |last=Prelli|first=Lawrence J. |url={{GBurl|id=if6_kBbJlCcC|p=327|q=drew+barrymore+navel+tattoo}}|title=Rhetorics of display |publisher=University of South Carolina Press|year=2006|isbn=1-57003-619-5}} have become more common among young women. This raised the popularity of crop tops that expose the midriff and navel.{{cite web |last=Kremer |first=Esther Gross |date=May 7, 2000 |title=Cropped tops = midriff mania = abs-olutely erotic |url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2000-05-07/entertainment/18136533_1_tops-midriff-navel |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616074613/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2000-05-07/entertainment/18136533_1_tops-midriff-navel |archive-date=June 16, 2012 |website=New York Daily News}}

During the 1990s, many designers adapted to the trend. One way of showing the midriff that has proved popular with designers is simply fastening a jacket or vest at the neckline and letting it fall freely. When the wearer moves, there is a flash of skin, but nothing startling. Fashion designer Carolina Herrera said, "the midriff doesn't have to be completely bare; a veil of chiffon over the midriff can look intriguing."{{cite news |last=Morris|first=Bernardine|title=Boldly or Demurely, The Midriff Bares Itself |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/15/news/boldly-or-demurely-the-midriff-bares-itself.html |access-date=20 March 2012|newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 15, 1992|url-access=subscription}}

== 2000s–2010s ==

The bare midriff, with flat, toned abs, became the trend in Hollywood in the 2000s.{{cite web |last=Talmon |first=Noelle |date=April 7, 2012 |title=Celebrity Style Watch: Belly Baring Crop Tops |work=Starpulse |url=http://www.starpulse.com/news/Noelle_Talmon/2012/04/07/celebrity_style_watch_belly_baring_cro |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120408152943/http://www.starpulse.com:80/news/Noelle_Talmon/2012/04/07/celebrity_style_watch_belly_baring_cro |archive-date=8 April 2012 |access-date=8 April 2012 |publisher=Star Pulse}} Particularly present were the bare midriffs of Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and Christina Aguilera.{{Cite web |title=Celebrities brought the bare-midriff trend back from the early 2000s for the Oscars red carpet |url=https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/celebrities-brought-the-bare-midriff-trend-back-from-the-early-2000s-for-the-oscars-red-carpet/articleshow/82261631.cms |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=Business Insider}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2015-04-28 |title=Jennifer Lopez's Best Early-2000s Outfits, Ranked |url=https://www.glamour.com/story/jennifer-lopez-2000s-outfits |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=Glamour |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Cerini |first=Marianna |date=2019-12-18 |title=Remember when Christina Aguilera's midriff was everywhere? |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/christina-aguilera-remember-when/index.html |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=CNN |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Gilligan |first=Eilish |title=Britney Is Not Just Her Conservatorship — Let's Celebrate Her For The Pop Music Queen She Is |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-ca/2021/10/10699311/ode-to-britney-spears |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=www.refinery29.com |language=en-CA}}{{Cite web |date=2016-01-11 |title=11 Times Britney Spears Was Crop Top Goals — PHOTOS |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/134830-11-times-britney-spears-was-crop-top-goals-photos |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=Bustle |language=en}}

= Indian culture =

File:Ameesha Patel still4.jpg posing in a ghagra choli that bares the midriff]]

Indian women have traditionally worn saris that partially cover the midriff, especially South Indian women.{{cite book|last=Alkazi|first=Roshen|title=Ancient Indian Costume|location=New Delhi|publisher=Art Heritage|year=1983|url={{GBurl|id=8tuBAAAAMAAJ|p=147}}|oclc=11507040}}{{cite book|last=Ghurye|first=Govind Sadashiv|author-link=Govind Sadashiv Ghurye|year=1951|title=Indian costume|publisher=Popular Book Depot|location=Bombay|oclc=560506171}}

The sari adapts to a woman's body, rather than defining it, allowing for pregnancy and otherwise expanding girth. In a culture where having enough to eat is not a given, rolls of fat around the midriff are a sign of prestige, rather than indulgence.{{cite news|first=Suzy|last=Menkes|title=RUNWAYS; Naked Came the Midriff|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/29/style/runways-naked-came-the-midriff.html |url-access=subscription|access-date=20 March 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 29, 1994 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219001750/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/29/style/runways-naked-came-the-midriff.html |archive-date= Feb 19, 2014 }} Torsekar, a paediatrician from India who works in Toledo, Ohio, once said, "It may be hard for American women to imagine going to work with an exposed midriff, but for Indian women, the midriff is considered no more suggestive than the forearm."{{cite news|first=Tahree|last=Lane|title=Sari|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=80BPAAAAIBAJ&pg=6996,1885944&dq=sari+choli&hl=en |via=Google News |access-date=21 March 2012|newspaper=Toledo Blade|date=March 22, 1998 }}

Other Indian communities that take midriff in their stride include the women from Rajasthan, who leave the midriff exposed while wearing ghagra cholis.{{cite book|title=Social Science a Textbook in History for Class IX as per New Syllabus|publisher=FK Publications}} However, these women often cover their heads with a dupatta{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lsai4v554d8C |title=India |publisher=R.I.C. Publications |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-74126-911-6 |location=Balcatta, Western Australia}} and even cover their faces in front of strangers, which enforces the belief that midriff-baring in India has a symbolic, almost mystical, association with birth and life and that the display is meant to emphasise the centrality of nature in the nurture role.{{cite book |last=Beck |first=Brenda |year=1976|title=The Symbolic Merger of Body, Space, and Cosmos in Hindu Tamil Nadu|series=Contributions to Indian Sociology |volume=10|issue=2|pages=213–243}}

In spite of it, some Indian philosophers gave opposition to exposing midriff in saris. They considered it to be a symbol of adultery.{{cite book|url={{GBurl|id=eFoOAAAAYAAJ}}|title=Sarvajna: the omniscient poet of Karnataka|first=Basavaraj S.|last=Naikar|location=Dharwad|publisher=Sivaranjani Publications|year=1984|oclc=17133214}}