Muffin top
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A Muffin-top is the phenomenon of overhanging fat when it spills over the waistline of pants or skirts in a manner that resembles the top of a muffin spilling over its paper casing. Muffin-tops are generally considered undesirable.[citation needed]
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Origin [edit]
Muffin-top originated as Australian slang in mid-2003,[1] but has since become popular in other English-speaking countries. It may have been first popularized by the Australian television show Kath & Kim. Australia's Macquarie Dictionary named "muffin-top" the word of the year in 2006;[2] the American Dialect Society named it one of the "most creative" new terms that same year.[3] The Oxford English Dictionary added the term to its revised online edition in March 2011.[4]
According to William Safire, writing in The New York Times Magazine, "Muffin-top fills a lexical void" and "describes the roll of excess flesh spilling out primarily in front but possibly all around."[5]
The logic behind the muffin top analogy is that, in both cases, an overflowing object is partially constrained by a vessel (a muffin pan or tight pants). The sharp pressure differential at the vessel's opening allows the contents to spill over creating the familiar muffin top. It should be noted that a true muffin top involves a portion of the waist being constrained so tightly that at the point where one's body protrudes from the garment, the flesh has a downward facing aspect, not to be mistaken for the tiny bit of shape that occurs when a very fit person wears a very tight garment.
Use in popular media [edit]
In November 2007, the BBC website published an article entitled "Is this the end of the muffin top?" which described a fashion trend for high-waisted shorts, trousers and miniskirts, which they believed would prevent the appearance of muffin tops. Laura Craik, however, fashion editor for London's Evening Standard, said that she did not think it spelled the end of the muffin top, but that "perhaps they will be in retreat for a while."[6]
A popular song from 30 Rock features Jenna singing about her Muffin Top.
See also [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Muffin tops |
References [edit]
- ^ "'Muffin-top:' A bellybutton flasher losing the battle of the bulge". Taipei Times. 2005-08-28.
- ^ "Australian Dictionary Names "Muffin Top" Word Of 2006". wayodd.com. 2007-01-25.
- ^ "Truthiness Voted 2005 Word of the Year by American Dialect Society". American Dialect Society. 2006-01-06.
- ^ "Muffin top". Oxford English Dictionary. 2011-03-24.
- ^ Safire, William (2005-08-28). "On Language: Muffin-Top". The New York Times Magazine. "When the wearer's abdomen is flat, a display of flesh above and well below the bellybutton produces an eye-catching picture of what The Scotsman in Britain has called the Britney belly-flash. However, when the wearer's midriff is flabby, a vivid culinary metaphor is used: muffin-top. As every baker knows, a muffin is a small cake that rises above its metal container. When removed from the pan, its shape is round, with the top hanging over the base of the cake like a small, harmless mushroom cloud."
- ^ Winterman, Denise (2007-11-15). "Is this the end of the muffin top?". BBC. "The result is High Streets the length and breadth of the country awash with the unsightly bulges, just like the doughy overspill on a freshly baked muffin—only not so appetising."
