Wardrobe malfunction
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Wardrobe malfunction is a euphemism used to describe the accidental exposure of an intimate part or parts of the body due to a defect in an article or articles of clothing. Most famously, it was used for the first time by Justin Timberlake to explain the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy, a 1 February 2004 incident in which the malfunction resulted in what was claimed to be the "unintentional" baring of most of Janet Jackson's right breast.
The Global Language Monitor named the phrase as "Hollywood's Top Word or Phrase for Impact on the English language", as a phrase which had the most influence on the language for the year. [1]
The term has remained popular in part because of the humor associated with its jargonistic and overly technical quality when used as an explanation for the Super Bowl incident, which many believe was actually an intentional publicity stunt. This suspicion is strengthened by the fact that Jackson was wearing a nipple shield, which emphasized her areola, and by the lyric Timberlake was singing immediately prior: "Gonna have you naked by the end of this song". Jackson also took her time in covering up. In 2007, CBS asserted that Jackson and Timberlake had confirmed to CBS that they had "independently and clandestinely" planned the exposure.[2]
The term has subsequently been used to describe a piece of clothing that stayed on, as for example in 2005 when George W. Bush failed to remove his gloves before shaking hands with Slovak officials.
Slang Internet terms representing a wardrobe accident include oops (referring to the embarrassment caused by being caught in such a situation), nipple slip/breast slip, and upskirt.
Paparazzi relish these embarrassing situations and are eager to capture these occurrences. It is often argued that many of these "shots" are staged by celebrities, and although ostensibly accidental, seem more like impulsive publicity stunts.
Nipple slips
A nipple slip is the accidental exposure of a woman's nipple in public. Nipple slips are very popular in the world of celebrity paparazzi, and on celebrity driven gossip blogs and websites. Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction may be the most well known nipple slip of all time but many other celebrities have endured or in some cases apparently courted the publicity. A nipple slip can, in some cases, be avoided with the use of lingerie tape.
Other notable occurrences
1940s
- Carmen Miranda was photographed mid-twirl in a publicity photo with Cesar Romero which exposed her pubic hair. 20th Century Fox photographers tried to reshoot the photo the next day, but early copies of the negative were shipped out to servicemen in the Pacific.
1950s
- There is a famous photo of Jayne Mansfield leaning over a table at which Sophia Loren was sitting. The photo was famous not just because one of Mansfield's nipples was exposed, but all the more because of the incredulous look on Loren's face as she caught sight of it.
1970s
- While performing in the "Floor Show" segment of the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Nell Campbell's breasts repeatedly popped out of her outfit (she subtly tries to push her sliding bustier back up). The film's producers caught this, but decided to leave it in, because the movie was almost ready for post-production. The MPAA however, did not notice. Patricia Quinn, Campbell's co-star in the film, makes allusions in the DVD commentary that Campbell intentionally flashed the camera; promotional photos by Mick Rock support this theory, as Campbell is clearly bursting out of the corset then as well. Viewing the scene in that context, it appears that Campbell does not push her bustier back up, but instead accentuates the fall-out.
- A widely reported wardrobe malfunction happened on September 14, 1977. A contestant on The Price is Right was called to "come on down". As she ran to contestant's row her tube top slipped down, exposing her breasts. Host Bob Barker was oblivious to the incident, as she was one of the first four contestants and Barker awaited announcer/sidekick Johnny Olson's entrance cue in an area that did not then have a TV monitor. After Barker made his entrance, he remarked that the hysterical audience members had "taken leave of their senses", then Olson quipped"Bob, they have given their all for you!". Then Barker mentioned to Olson, "whatever brought this on...this is how I want it every day from now on!" Barker, who was told about the mishap during the commercial break, has been known to say regarding the incident, "She came on down and they came on out!" MadTV also parodied the wardrobe malfunction in a skit.
2000
- British TV presenter Judy Finnegan's dress failed during the National TV awards,[3] revealing a white bra. This was treated as much as a fashion faux pas as a wardrobe malfunction.
2004
- February 1 – Janet Jackson experienced the eponymous wardrobe malfunction during her performance at the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show. [4]
- November 4 – Tara Reid suffered a wardrobe malfunction while arriving for P. Diddy's birthday party in New York. The actress's dress fell down, exposing her left breast. Reid seemed unaware of the slip at first, as the cameras were flashing constantly. It was not until her publicist alerted her to it that she pulled her dress back up, at which point she became angry with the photographers for not telling her sooner.[5]
2006
- At Mumbai fashion week, model Carol Gracias' breasts were accidentally exposed. In another incident, a model's buttocks were exposed after a zipper split. The incidents were discussed in the Maharastra State Assembly.[6]
Parodies
- In the Seinfeld episode entitled "The Pick," Elaine Benes (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is embarrassed after she sends everyone she knows a Christmas card that features a photograph of herself with one of her nipples accidentally revealed.
- A parody of the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy was featured in the Family Guy episode "PTV," where the FCC decides to heavily censor television after a "trouser malfunction" at the Emmy Awards caused actor David Hyde Pierce to expose his testicles.
- While hosting the 2004 Juno Awards, singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette parodied Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction from the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show. [7]
- In the video for the D12 song "My Band", rappers Eminem and Bizzare spoof Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake from the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, with a mock wardrobe malfunction.
- In the South Park episode Good Times With Weapons, Cartman explains why he was naked in front of the town at an auction by claiming it was a wardrobe malfunction.
- In an issue of Mad Magazine in 1960, in an article satirizing stretch fabric, the last panel sequences shows a woman on the beach, wearing a one-piece swimsuit made of such fabric. The text points up a disadvantage of such garments: If the tension is suddenly released they "snap back to their original size!" This is illustrated by the woman walking past a piling with an exposed nail stuck in it; the nail snags the suit and yanks it off.
See also
References
- Note: May contain nudity.
- ^ http://www.languagemonitor.com/wst_page15.html
- ^ CBS warns of censorship if bare breast edict stays Tue Sep 11 (Reuters, on Yahoo.com News
- ^ We're just popping out; JUDY'S NOT THE FIRST TO BOOB IN PUBLIC. The Mirror (England) October 12, 2000
- ^ "Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show". Retrieved 2006-12-30.
- ^ http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/21/entertainment/main668441.shtml
- ^ Probe into Mumbai fashion gaffes bbc.co.uk 5 April 2006
- ^ Scott Pattison (edited by Michael Bennett) (04-06-04). "Alanis Morissette Bares Soul, Not Breasts". Reuters. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
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