Codpiece 168032 223912836 2008-07-06T13:57:54Z Lightbot 7178666 Units/dates/other [[Image:HenryVIII.jpg|thumb|right|300|[[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] wearing a codpiece]] A '''codpiece''' (from [[Middle English language|Middle English]] ''cod'', "[[scrotum]]") is a flap or pouch that attaches to the front of the crotch of men's [[trousers]] to provide a covering for the [[genital]]s. It was held closed by string ties, buttons, or other methods. It was an important item of [[Europe]]an [[clothing]] in the 15th and 16th centuries, and it is still worn today in performance costume and in the [[leather subculture]]. ==History== [[Image:Cod-Piece by Wendelin Boeheim.jpg|thumb|200px|Metal cod-pieces, 16c]] At first, the codpiece was entirely a practical matter of [[modesty]]. Men's [[hose (clothing)|hose]] (leg coverings) were typically very snug on the legs and open at the crotch, with the genitalia simply hanging loose under the [[doublet (clothing)|doublet]]. As changing fashions led to shorter doublets, the codpiece was created to cover the crotch. Alternative theories of the origin of the codpiece exist.<ref>Kosir, Beth Marie: Modesty to Majesty: The Development of the Codpiece, http://www.r3.org/life/articles/codpiece.html</ref> As time passed, codpieces were shaped to emphasize the male genitalia and eventually often became padded and bizarrely shaped. They also often doubled as pockets, handy carrying places for a variety of items such as coins. (In this respect, the codpiece was an early forerunner to the more recently popular [[fanny pack]] when worn in front.) In the latter half of [[Queen Elizabeth I]]'s reign, men's clothing became more feminized; the codpiece became smaller and eventually returned to a simple flap of cloth, at least in England, by the time of Elizabeth's death. Armor of the 16th century followed civilian fashion, and for a time armored codpieces were a prominent addition to the best full harnesses. A few of these are on display in museums today: the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in [[New York City]] has one, as does the Higgins Armory in [[Worcester, Massachusetts]]<ref>John Grabenstein, http://www.higgins.org - </ref><ref>David Edge, ''Arms and Armor of Medieval Knights: An Illustrated History of Weaponry in the [[Middle Ages]]''</ref>; the armour of [[Henry VIII]] in the [[Tower of London]] has a codpiece. In later periods, the codpiece became an object of the derision showered on outlandish fashions. [[Renaissance]] humorist [[Francois Rabelais]] wrote a book titled ''On the Dignity of Codpieces'''''. ==Slang== Through the same linguistic route, ''cods'' became a modern slang term for the [http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/body-parts-slang/male-genitalia.html male genitalia]; ''[[codswallop]]'' ("nonsense") is an associated term. ==Codpieces in contemporary culture== [[Image:LeatherCod.jpg|thumb|200px|[[leather subculture|Leather]] codpiece.]] ===Subcultural Attire=== Codpieces are worn in [[leather subculture|leather subcultural]] attire to cover and confine the genitals of a man, sometimes while wearing [[chaps]]. ===Heavy Metal Fashion=== The codpiece crossed over from the [[leather subculture]] to become an established part of [[heavy metal fashion]] performance [[costume]] when [[Rob Halford]], of the band [[Judas Priest]], began wearing clothing adopted from the gay biker and [[leather subculture]] while promoting the Hell Bent for Leather Album in 1978.[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_n759/ai_20830600/pg_1] Notable subsequent uses of the codpiece include: *[[Ian Anderson (musician)|Ian Anderson]], front man for [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]], wore a codpiece during his performances in the mid-1970s. *[[Gene Simmons]] of the American Rock Band [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]] often wore black and silver costumes with codpieces. *The lead singer of 1980s music group [[Cameo (band)|Cameo]], [[Larry Blackmon]], wore a large, bright-red codpiece in all of his performances. *[[Shock rock]] performer [[Blackie Lawless]], leader of the group WASP, has been known to wear a codpiece that features a saw blade and is capable of shooting out flames and sparks. *[[Heavy metal]] singer [[King Diamond]] has been known to wear a codpiece as part of his performance outfits. *[[Electric Six]] lead singer Dick Valentine can be seen wearing a brightly flashing codpiece in the music video for the band’s 2003 hit single [[Danger! High Voltage]]. ===Pop Music=== * [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]] was notorious for wearing codpieces during concerts. * Murdoc Niccals of the [[Gorillaz]] frequently calls singer 2D "codpiece-face." ===Codpieces in Film, Electronic Media and Modern Literature=== * In [[Anthony Burgess]]'s novel ''[[A Clockwork Orange]]'' (and later [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s movie adaptation), Alex and his gang wear codpieces. * In [[William Tenn]]'s novella ''The Masculinist Revolt'' (1965), the codpiece becomes the symbol for an [[antifeminist]] movement, with hilarious results. * In the 1968 novel ''[[Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?]]'', the Earth is covered in radioactive dust from nuclear fallout, so male characters must wear lead codpieces to avoid becoming sterile. *Codpieces are seen as part of the uniform of [[Imperial stormtroopers]] in the ''[[Star Wars]]'' movie series. *The films ''[[Batman Forever]]'' and ''[[Batman & Robin (film)|Batman & Robin]]'' received much publicity over the size of the molded rubber codpieces of the Batman and Robin costumes. *In [[Jim Henson]]'s movie ''[[Labyrinth (film)|Labyrinth]]'', the Goblin King (played by [[David Bowie]]) sports a codpiece beneath his riding [[breeches]]. * In ''[[The Pirate Movie]]'' (1982), a [[rock music]] version of the ''[[Pirates of Penzance]]'', the Pirate King wore an enormous jeweled codpiece for comedic effect. * In the [[Wachowski brothers]]'s second ''Matrix'' sequel ''[[The Matrix Reloaded]]'', two men can be seen wearing codpieces at the entrance to the Merovingian's nightclub. * In ''[[Babylon 5]]'', G'Kar, played by Andreas Katsulas, sports a codpiece as part of his Ambassadorial garb. * In one episode of ''[[Metalocalypse]]'', ''Murdering Outside the Box'' bassist William Murderface purchases a diamond-encrusted codpiece which is reinforced by titanium alloy and is shaped like a horn. Meanwhile, guitarist Toki Wartooth purchases a strap-on [[dildo]], mistaking it for a codpiece. An assassin sent by the Tribunal later trips and falls face first into the codpiece and is skewered. * In the 1995 film ''[[Se7en (film)|Se7en]]'', a lust-related murder involves a man being forced at gunpoint to don a codpiece with a long blade attached as a pseudo-phallus and have sex with a prostitute, killing the woman in the process. *Actor [[Dougray Scott]], on his role in ''[[Ever After]]'', said, "I had never worn a codpiece before and I don't think I ever will again." --[[IMDB]] * In ''[[Guitar Hero (2005 video game)|Guitar Hero]]'' and ''[[Guitar Hero II]]'', Izzy Sparks' main costume features a skull-shaped codpiece. *Codpiece was a [[supervillain]] who appeared in ''[[Doom Patrol]]'' #70. He was armed with a mechanical codpiece but was defeated by [[Coagula]], who melted it.<ref>[http://www.headinjurytheater.com/article59.htm Because Crotch-to-Air Missiles are Awesome...]</ref> *In the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Blackadder]]'' episode "[[The Archbishop (Blackadder)|The Archbishop]]" the eponymous [[anti-hero]] Edmund wears a vast, erect "Black [[Russia]]n" codpiece to the ceremony at which he thinks his hated brother Harry will be announced [[Archbishop of Canterbury]]; he is happy because the King has a habit of having Archbishops of Canterbury murdered, opening up Edmund's chances of becoming king. Instead, Edmund is declared Archbishop, and hurriedly tries to hide the codpiece from the disapproving [[clergy]] by hanging a nearby [[bishop]]'s [[mitre]] on it. *In [[Team Fortress 2]], the Demoman, a self-proclaimed "black, Scottish cyclops", wears a codpiece. His taunt with his primary weapon involves lifting the codpiece to expose a smiley face on his crotch. ==See also== *[[1500-1550 in fashion]] *[[1550-1600 in fashion]] {{commons|category:Codpieces}} ==Notes== <references /> ==References== * Ashelford, Jane: ''The Art of Dress: Clothing and Society 1500-1914'', Abrams, 1996. ISBN 0810963175 *Ashelford, Jane. ''The Visual History of Costume: The Sixteenth Century''. 1983 edition (ISBN 0-89676-076-6), 1994 reprint (ISBN 0-7134-6828-9). * Edge, David: ''Arms and Armor of Medieval Knights: An Illustrated History of Weaponry in the Middle Ages'' *Hearn, Karen, ed. ''Dynasties: Painting in Tudor and Jacobean England 1530-1630. New York: Rizzoli, 1995. ISBN 0-8478-1940-X. ==External links== *[http://www.time.com/time/archive/printout/0,23657,913426,00.html ''Time Magazine'' article] *[http://www.blackstyle.de/lshop,showdetail,1156364119-11399,e,1156364138-11440,maenner.maenner_bodies_,26009,,Tshowrub--maenner.maenner_bodies_,.htm Contemporary latex codpiece suit] *[http://www.listten.com/article.cfm?id=5 ''The Fashion Struggle''] *[http://www.dandyism.net ''Dandyism.net''] {{Elements of Medieval armor}} {{Men's undergarments}} [[Category:Personal armour]] [[Category:Medieval costume]] [[Category:Costume design]] [[Category:Trousers and shorts]] [[Category:Underwear]] [[de:Schamkapsel]] [[es:Bragueta]] [[fr:Braguette]] [[gl:Bragueta]] [[nl:Braguette]] [[no:Skamkapsel]] [[pl:Mieszek (część ubioru)]] [[ru:Гульфик]] [[fi:Kalukukkaro]] [[sv:Blygdkapsel]]