If you spend a lot of time on social media, you certainly are not unfamiliar with the concept of a crop top. Also known as a half-shirt or midriff top, it is a top that leaves the waist, navel, or abdomen exposed. Even if this type of clothing has been around for almost a century, its peak has been confirmed to be the 2010s and 2020s due to the popularity of mini-wear.
Despite their popularity, crop tops have also started the debate of whether they are appropriate or not or in which circumstances they should be allowed. Since fashion is heavily influenced by culture and religion, let’s look at how cropped clothing has been perceived throughout history and whether it is a regional matter.
Chapter Overview
History of Cropped Tops
The crop top was first introduced at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. During the 1930s and 1940s, the crop top became popular as a bath suit piece. Thanks to the sexual revolution of the late 1960s and 1970s, this piece of clothing received more acceptance.
Madonna caused a controversy in the mid-1980s when she gyrated in a mesh crop top in her song “Lucky Star.” During this decade, cutoff crop tops became a popular fashion item thanks to the aerobic craze and movie Flashdance.
Crop tops were also often paired with low-slung belts. During the 1990s, long-sleeved crop tops and even crop top turtlenecks also became fashionable for the first time. By the mid-1990s, crop tops had become so mainstream that many schools banned the garment in their dress code. The baby doll shirt was a cropped, tight-fitting t-shirt that often featured graphic logos.
North U.S.A. vs. South U.S.A.
The mentality of the region we were born in reflects some extent in our clothing style. One of the simplest ways of spotting the differences is by analyzing the view both North and South regions of the U.S. have on cropped clothes.
As a result of the fact that southern states are more religious, cropped clothing has been banned from almost every school dress code in states such as South Carolina. Even wearing a crop top in public is considered shameful and can stir some negative comments.
On the other hand, in the Northern regions, where religion has not had that much influence, people embraced the trend and made it seem natural. For them, cropped clothing is nothing more than something they feel comfortable wearing, regardless of gender.
A Form of Empowerment
As a counterattack to the negative connotations cropped clothes have received, many young people decided to use the piece as a form of empowerment. People who enjoy wearing crop tops, especially women, have received multiple negative comments on social media platforms and on the streets, labeled as ‘loose’ or ‘shameless.’
Instead of submitting to the rules of a conservative vision, many individuals insisted on breaking the stigma of cropped clothes and using them as a tool for promoting self-esteem and body positivity. During their pregnancies, members of the all-female musical groups All Saints and the Spice Girls wore crop tops on stage, ushering in the practice of showing off rather than hiding one’s baby belly. Not only that, but men wearing cropped clothing has been originally designed as a symbol of athleticism and masculinity, a fact which now helps promote breaking gender stereotypes.