Buttock cleavage
Buttock cleavage is minor exposure of the buttocks and the intergluteal cleft between them, often because of low-rise pants. The crena is a formal term for the cleft between the buttocks.
History[edit]
When faced with indecency issues back in the 1930s, W. G. Cassidy explained in an essay titled "Private Parts: A judicial view" that exposure of a buttock cleavage may come under "other private parts" in Australian law, though indecency generally involves exposure of the genital area.[1]
In the early 2000s, it became fashionable for young women and men to expose their buttocks this way, often in tandem with low rise jeans.[2][3] The Cincinnati Enquirer called it the "new cleavage", and expressed views that "It's virtually impossible to find jeans to cover your hipbone".[4] In August 2001, The Sun celebrated a "bum cleavage week" claiming that "bums are the new tits".[5] In reaction to this trend, Saturday Night Live aired a parody advertisement in their April 16, 2006 episode for a product called "Neutrogena coin slot cream", in which host Lindsay Lohan appeared.[6]
Jeffreys (2005)[7] identified British designer Alexander McQueen as the originator of buttock cleavage-revealing jeans, known as the "bumster";[7] similarly, a 2002 U.S. Patent 6473908[8] registers a trousers design with a removable buttock-covering part for revealing cleavage.[8] In the mid-2000s, Good Morning America reported on a rise of popularity of the buttock cleavage among celebrities.[9] In an interview[10] conducted in late 2002, pop singer Avril Lavigne said: "My buttcrack showing is like my trademark."[10]
In 2010s, media reported rise in popularity among females of ultra-short miniskirts and shorts, which publicly exposed "underbuns" (i.e. lower part of buttocks, also referred as underbutts or "reverse buttock cleavage"), due to endorsement by celebrities such as Lady Gaga.[11][12] Paparazzi also photographed Jessica Alba's tramp stamp bow tattoo, located just above her buttcrack cleavage.[13]
Lexicon[edit]
The terms plumber butt or plumber's crack (Canadian, Australian, and American English) and builder's bum (British English) refer to the exposure of the buttock cleavage, especially on occasions of careless bending over. The expression "builder's bum" was first recorded in 1988. The terms are based on the popular impression that work in these professions frequently involves bending over in locations where bystanders are observing from the rear.[14]
In the Netherlands the term bouwvakkersdecolleté and in Germany Maurerdekolleté and in Poland dekolt hydraulika is used, which can be translated as "builder's/mason's/plumber's cleavage". In France, it is usually referred to as le sourire du plombier, which translates to "the plumber's smile".[15]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Cassidy, W.G. (September 1974). "Private parts: A judicial view". Southerly (law essay). Vol. 34, no. 3. Sydney, AU. pp. 315–319 – via informit.com.au.
- ^ Brown, Janelle (28 May 2002). "Booty call: Here come the buns". Salon.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2006. Retrieved 12 March 2006.
- ^ d'Angelo, Jennifer (5 December 2001). "Cleavage fashion flips upside down". Fox News (FOXNews.com). Archived from the original on 5 February 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2006.
- ^ Daugherty, Gina (29 May 2003). "Thong spotting gets easier". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2008 – via enquirer.com.
- ^ Davies, Anna (August 26, 2001). "Bum deal: Suddenly, women's bottoms are everywhere. It might seem like jolly, harmless fun, but actually there's nothing innocent about it". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2008 – via theguardian.com.
Last week was bum cleavage week at The Sun.
- ^ King, D.R. (writer); Lohan, L. (actress, "Girl #1"); Wiig, K. (actress, "Girl #2"); Poehler, A. (actress, "Announcer") (12 March 2008) [15 April 2006]. Neutrogena coin slot cream. skit (TV program segment). Saturday Night Live. season 31, episode 16. Archived from the original on 13 November 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2012 – via YouTube.[unreliable source?]
- ^ a b Jeffreys, Sheila (2005). Beauty and Misogyny: Harmful cultural practices in the West. Routledge. p. 98. ISBN 0-415-35183-9 – via Google books.
- ^ a b US 6473908, Bontems, Thomas A., "Garment having a buttocks cleavage revealing feature", issued 5 November 2002 — via Patent Storm (patentstorm.us); US patent 6473908 (patentstorm.us) at the Wayback Machine (archived 2008-02-02)
- ^ Celebrities are showing-off butt cleavage (TV news segment). Good Morning America. ABC News. 6 January 2006. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2008.
- ^ a b Miller, Andrew (January 30, 2003). "Under Avril's hood". Music. Phoenix New Times. Phoenix, AZ. Retrieved May 29, 2021 – via phoenixnewtimes.com.
- ^ "What is the underbun? This is the latest sexy body trend taking over the web". Life / style. The Daily Express. London, UK: Express Newspapers. 4 May 2017 [3 May 2017]. Retrieved 26 Jan 2018 – via express.co.uk.
- ^ "High alert: We're all helpless onlookers to 'the Summer of butt cleavage'". Cosmopolitan. 17 July 2013 [16 July 2013]. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ Calvario, Liz (19 July 2019). "Jessica Alba reveals which tattoo she regrets getting: I'm so-irritated that I got it.". Entertainment Tonight. CBS Studios. Retrieved 2023-12-31 – via etonline.com.
- ^ Brewer's Dictionary of Modern Phrase & Fable, by John Ayto, Ian Crofton (2006), ISBN 0-304-36809-1, p. 121
- ^ "French Expression of the Day". The Local.
External links[edit]
Media related to Buttock cleavage at Wikimedia Commons
