Buttock cleavage 1932549 225514287 2008-07-14T02:25:44Z 72.160.205.63 /* Buttock Cleavage in Popular Culture */ [[Image:C W Eckersberg 1841 - Kvinde foran et spejl.jpg|thumb|A painting by [[Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg]] of a woman with visible cleavage]] '''Buttock cleavage''' is minor exposure of the [[buttocks]] and the [[gluteal cleft]] between them, often because of low-slung [[trousers]]. Traditionally considered unattractive, the buttock cleavage gained popularity in the 21st century.<ref name="Salon">Brown, Janelle. [http://www.salon.com/mwt/style/2002/05/28/booty_call/ "Here come the buns"], ''[[Salon.com]]'', URL accessed [[March 12]], [[2006]].</ref> ==History== When faced with indecency issues back in the 1930s, W.G. Cassidy explained in an essay titled ''Private Parts: A Judicial View'' that it may come under "other private parts" in described by the Australian Law, though indecency generally covers the [[genital area]].<ref>''Southerly: The Magazine of the Australian English Association, Sydney'', volume 34, page 318, Australian English Association, 1939</ref> In August 2001, ''[[The Sun]]'' celebrated a ''bum cleavage week'' claiming that "bums are the new tits".<ref>Davies, Anna. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/aug/27/gender.uk "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]]'', [[August 27]], [[2001]]. Accessed [[February 19]], [[2008]]. "Last week was bum cleavage week at the Sun."</ref> In the mid-2000s, ''[[Good Morning America]]'' reported on a rise of popularity of the buttock cleavage among celebrities.<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=125903&page=1 "Celebrities Are Showing Off Butt Cleavage"], ''[[Good Morning America]]'', [[July 25]]. Accessed [[February 19]], [[2008]].</ref> Social scientist [[Ariel Levy]] described the culture of low cut jeans that revealed butt cleavage, along with miniature tops that revealed breast implants and navel piercing, as examples of the rise of the "[[raunch culture]]" among women in her book ''Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture''.<ref>Ariel Levy, ''Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture'', Page 2, Free Press, 2005, ISBN 0743284283</ref> The term was selected by the [[American Dialect Society]] (a group of linguists, editors, and academics) in January 2006 as the "most creative word" of [[2005]].<ref name=dia>[http://www.americandialect.org/Words_of_the_Year_2005.pdf Words of the Year 2005], [[American Dialect Society]]. Accessed [[February 19]], [[2008]].</ref> ==Fashion trends== In the early [[2000s in fashion|2000s]] it became [[fashion]]able for young women and men to expose their buttocks in this way, often in tandem with [[Low-rise jeans|low rise jeans]].<ref name="Salon"/><ref>Jennifer D'Angelo, "[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,40105,00.html Cleavage Fashion Flips Upside Down]," FOXNews.com, December 5, 2001, URL accessed 12 March 2006.</ref> ''[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]]'' called it the "new cleavage", and expressed views that "It's virtually impossible to find jeans to cover your hipbone".<ref>Daugherty, Gina. [http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/05/29/tem_thurslede29.html "Thong spotting gets easier"], ''[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]]'', [[May 29]], [[2003]].</ref> In reaction to this trend, ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' aired a [[parody advertisement]] for a product called ''Neutrogena Coin Slot Cream''.<ref>[http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/segments/8902.shtml Saturday Night Live Skit - Neutrogena Coin Slot Cream]</ref> Low-rise jeans sometimes also resulted in what is often called a [[whale tail]]&mdash;the appearance of the waistband of a [[Thong (clothing)|thong]] or [[g-string]] above the waistline of one's pants, creating a shape resembling a [[whale]]'s [[tail]].<ref name=dia/> British designer [[Alexander McQueen]] was particularly mentioned as the originator of buttock cleavage revealing jeans, known as the "bumster", in cultural critique Sheila Jeffreys' ''Beauty and Misogyny: Harmful Cultural Practices in the West''.<ref>Sheila Jeffreys, [http://books.google.com/books?id=UAi55tsTffgC&pg=PA98&dq=buttock+cleavage&lr=&ei=mF-7R5DyJobosQPYluChBQ&sig=-fHUmClfc1tQCQz_bUe0Sk6jwfI Beauty and Misogyny: Harmful Cultural Practices in the West], page 98, Routledge, 2005, ISBN 0415351839</ref> United States Patent 6473908 registers a design for buttock cleavage revealing trouser designs.<ref>[http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6473908-description.html Garment having a buttocks cleavage revealing feature], Patent Storm</ref> ==Buttock Cleavage in Popular Culture== In an episode of the [[Simpsons]], Homer's cleavage was used by Lenny as a target for a pencil, dropped into Homer's cleavage. This distracted Homer's train of thought, and was used to comical effect. In many countries, the buttock cleavage, known as buttcrack or coinslot, is regularly used in portrayal of blue-collar workers such as plumbers(hence the the term "Plumber's Crack") or electricians, originating from the positions tradespeople (sitting, kneeling, squatting, etc), and the loose fitting attire of the professions. As white-collar workers tend to tuck their shirts in, the exposed crack became synonomous with tradespeople. ==See also== * [[Cleavage (breasts)]] * [[Sagging (fashion)]] * [[Muffin top]] * [[Whale tail]] ==References== {{reflist}} [[Category:Human appearance]] [[nl:Bouwvakkersdecolleté]] [[pt:Cofrinho]] [[sv:Raggarskåra]] [[Category:2000s fashion]] [[Category:Public nudity]]