What's In A Name...  

twoey I sure do not know but why would anyone want to parade around in a tee shirt called a wife beater? The name does bother me immensely as the term wife beater is not funny nor cute but connotes a vicious picture in my eyes. I do wonder why it was called that. are these the tee shirts that have no sleeves. perhaps the company making the first ones had a stereotype in their minds of a wife beater being brawny and wellmuscled and wearing a sleeveless teeshirt that showed off his muscles and that proved his manhood by knocking his wife around while he slugged down beer after beer. I know that a lot of my friends that endured spousal abuse had beefy husbands who drank an awful lot, beer wine anything alcoholic.

I have not heard that term. I have heard them called muscle shirts. I have always called them sleeveless t-shirts. I think that name is tasteless and degrading.

I can see why this would upset you!

My boys wear wife beaters. I didn't even know what they were until they showed them to me. I use to refer to them as Italian T-shirts because all of the italian guys who think they are something wear them.

I am like you, I grew up calling them muscle shirts. My first hubby is the one who scornfully called them "wife beaters" when we grew up not ten miles from each other. He said it was because, and this is sterotyping, the kind of guy who liked to show off his muscles was also the kind who was ignorant enough to beat his wife. It was like saying that guys who wear them are second class.

No they are only being called what they are Wife beaters... You know the name itself says it all.. People guys think it's funny to hit on there wifes as if they own them or something.. But that is so not true.... Sometimes guy wear the shirts because it's cute and aren't like that... No one really knows unless they are actually the ones being beaten.. the shirt though are shirts nothing you can really do about them...

Yes that bothers me, and if I were a man, I would be embarrassed to wear something like that, that is plan awful..I don't know what I would do if I saw someone wearing a t-shirt that said that, but they would definitely know I disapproved...

I just recently heard that term, wife beater. I didn't know what they meant at first. I don't like that term, and I can't understand why anyone would want to refer to them that way. It's such a negative connotation, and it kind of desensitizes some people I think. I'm not overreacting, it's just that some people get compacent with their casual terminology, and forget the backstory behind the term.

I have never heard those shirts called that. I have always heard them called muscle shirts. I would never allow my kids to call them wife beaters. I grew up in a abusive household and I would never allow my children to be raised in a household like that or will I ever stand by and knowingly let them be in that kind of relationship.

it's a bit offensive,but i ignore it for the most part.
we usually just call them "bum" shirts..as in bumming around the house.i like that a lot better than wife beater.

that is the only name i have known them to be called. why are they called wife beaters i have not idea. most i just say tee shirt. that is a great question and i will be looking to see if some does know why they call them wife beaters