Whale tail is the Y-shaped rear portion of a thong or G-string when visible above the waistline of low-rise pants, shorts, or skirts that resembles a whale's tail.[1][2][3] Popularized by a number of female celebrities including Amy Dumas, Christina Aguilera, Victoria Beckham, Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, displaying whale tails became popular in the early 2000s, together with the popularity of low-rise jeans and thong panties; but quickly waned within the decade.[citation needed]
Low-waisted trousers, such as low-rise jeans or hip-huggers, and higher-cut thongs led to greater exposure of the whale tail.[1][4] The trend was also associated with the trend of sporting lower back tattoos.[5]
The word was selected by the American Dialect Society in January 2006 as the "most creative word" of 2005.
- ^ a b Kremer, John. "Reduplicatives and Rhyming Words". Sing-Song Words. Open Horizons. Archived from the original on 2018-11-08. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
- ^ Vildasol, Maddox; Angelo Vildasol (2006). The Alphabet of Manliness. Citadel Press. p. 147. ISBN 0-8065-2720-X.
- ^ Flocker, Michael (2006). Death by PowerPoint: A Modern Office Survival Guide. Perseus Books Group. p. 219. ISBN 0-306-81512-5.
- ^ Garchik, Leah (2004-08-23). "Daily Datebook". San Francisco Chronicle: F8. "A Hollister spy says the thong visible from the back of low-rise jeans is called a "whale tail."
- ^ Hall, Ann C.; Mardia J. Bishop (2007). Pop-porn: Pornography in American Culture. Praeger. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-275-99920-9.