A crop top (also half shirt, midriff top, belly shirt or cutoff shirt) is a

top Top most commonly refers to: * Top, a basic term of orientation, distinguished from bottom, front, back, and sides * Spinning top, a ubiquitous traditional toy * Top (clothing), clothing designed to be worn over the torso * Mountain top, a moun ...

that reveals and exposes the

waist The waist is the part of the Human abdomen, abdomen between the rib cage and Hip (anatomy), hips. Normally, it is the narrowest part of the torso. ''Waistline'' refers to the horizontal line where the waist is narrowest, or to the general appe ...

navel The navel (clinically known as the umbilicus; : umbilici or umbilicuses; also known as the belly button or tummy button) is a protruding, flat, or hollowed area on the abdomen at the attachment site of the umbilical cord. Structure The u ...

, or

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the gut, belly, tummy, midriff, tucky, or stomach) is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and in other vertebrates. The area occupied by the abdomen is called the abdominal ...

History

Women

The origins of the clothing are unknown, but midriff tops go back to at least the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

, demonstrated by the discovery of Egtved Girl in Denmark. The early history of the modern form of crop top intersects with cultural views towards the

midriff In fashion, the midriff is the human abdomen. The midriff is exposed when wearing a crop top or some forms of swimwear or underwear. Etymology "Midriff" is a very old term in the English language, coming into use before 1000 AD. In Old Engl ...

, starting with the performance of Little Egypt at the

1893 Chicago World's Fair The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ce ...

. Although the crop top first gained prominence in the fashion industry during the 1930s and 1940s—the latter in particular due to fabric rationing in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

—it was largely confined to women's underwear at the time. It was not until the

sexual revolution The sexual revolution, also known as the sexual liberation, was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the Western world from the late 1950s to the early 1 ...

of the late 1960s and early 1970s that it achieved widespread acceptance, worn by celebrities such as

Barbara Eden Barbara Eden (born Barbara Jean Morehead; August 23, 1931) is an American actress and singer, who starred as the title character in the sitcom ''I Dream of Jeannie'' (1965–1970). Her other roles included Roslyn Pierce opposite Elvis Presley in ...

(star of NBC's ''

I Dream of Jeannie ''I Dream of Jeannie'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy sitcom television series created by Sidney Sheldon and starring Barbara Eden as a beautiful but guileless 2,000-year-old Jinn, genie and Larry Hagman as an astronaut with whom s ...

'') and

Jane Birkin Jane Mallory Birkin ( ; 14 December 1946 – 16 July 2023) was a British and French actress, singer, and designer. She had a prolific career as an actress, mostly in French cinema. A native of London, Birkin began her career as an actress, ...

. A variant style, the tied-up top or knotted shirt, also appeared in 1940s fashion and spread in popularity during the 1960s. In the 1980s, cut-off crop tops became more common as part of the

aerobics Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness (Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, Muscle, muscular strength, and ...

craze and as a result of the popularity of the movie '' Flashdance''. Singer

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

wore a

mesh Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a comprehensive controlled vocabulary for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. It serves as a thesaurus of index terms that facilitates searching. Created and updated by th ...

crop top in her

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for the song " Lucky Star". In the 2010s, the crop top experienced a revival due to the popularity of

1990s fashion Fashion in the 1990s was defined by a return to minimalism, minimalist fashion, in contrast to the more elaborate and flashy 1980s in fashion, trends of the 1980s. One notable shift was the mainstream adoption of tattoos, body piercings aside fro ...

and they still remain popular in the 2020s. File:Hüfthose.jpg, Woman wearing a white crop top File:160618 플레디스걸즈 콘서트 정은우 직찍 1.jpg, Pristin's Eunwoo wearing a crop top File:Woman with tied shirt.jpg, Woman in tied shirt File:Sofie Dossi (Stokes Twins 2023) 01 (cropped).png, Sofie Dossi wearing a crop top that bares her outie

Men

Crop tops have been worn by men since the 1970s. The early ''

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American independent film, independent sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the Rocky (film series), ''Rocky'' franchise and also star ...

'' films have

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...

and

Carl Weathers Carl Weathers (January 14, 1948 – February 1, 2024) was an American actor, director and gridiron football player. His prominent roles included boxer Apollo Creed in the first four ''Rocky'' films (1976–1985), Colonel Al Dillon in ''Predat ...

wearing crop tops while working out. The

protective gear Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, elect ...

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

with no shirt resembles a crop top. Eventually cropped jerseys became available which carried over to several 1980s broadcasts. Men also started to wear crop tops regardless of

sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...

. Acceptance for men wearing no shirt could be seen to eliminate the need for a crop top. Various crop tops have been worn by

rappers Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing b ...

as well as American football athletes. However, in 2015 the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

increased restrictions on men wearing crop tops, which also includes rolling up longer jerseys, giving no reason for the change. Since the mid-2010s, the male crop top has seen a major resurgence in popularity, including prominent celebrity figures such as football player

Ezekiel Elliott Ezekiel Elijah Elliott (born July 22, 1995), nicknamed "Zeke", is an American professional American football, football running back. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes football, Ohio State Buckeyes, earning second-team College ...

, rapper

Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ; formerly stylized as KiD CuDi), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and fashion designer. Born and raised in Clevelan ...

, rock star Josh Kiszka, and actors

Matthew McConaughey Matthew David McConaughey ( ; born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. He achieved his breakthrough with a supporting performance in the coming-of-age comedy '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993). After a number of supporting roles, his first su ...

and

Zac Efron Zachary David Alexander Efron (; born October 18, 1987) is an American actor. Efron began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence as a teen idol for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the ''High School Musical'' film ...

. File:Bologna Pride, 2012 (cropped).jpg, A man wearing an improvised crop top File:SagatinLaZombietest.jpg, Gay porn star François Sagat man wearing a cropped vest

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crop Top 1970s fashion 1980s fashion 1990s fashion 2000s fashion 2010s fashion 2020s fashion American fashion Canadian fashion Clubwear Dancewear Shirts Sportswear Tops (clothing) Abdomen Waist

History

Women

Men

See also

References

External links