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A wardrobe malfunction is an instance of accidental indecent exposure
Indecent exposure

Indecent exposure is the deliberate exposure by a person of a portion or portions of his or her own body under circumstances where such an exposure is likely to be seen as contrary to the local commonly accepted standards of decency , and may in fact be a violation of law....
 of intimate part
Intimate part

An intimate, personal or private part is a place on the human body which it is usually customary to keep covered with clothing in public areas, as a matter of decency....
s. It is different from flashing
Exhibitionism

Exhibitionism, known variously as flashing, apodysophilia and Lady Godiva syndrome, is the psychological need and pattern of behavior involving the exposure of parts of the body to another person with a tendency toward an extravagant, usually at least partially sexually inspired behavior to attract the attention of another...
, which implies a deliberate exposure. There has been a long history of such malfunction, though the term itself was coined in the 2000s.

American Dialect Society
American Dialect Society

The American Dialect Society, founded in 1889, is a learned society "dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it." The Society publishes the academic journal, American Speech....
 defines a wardrobe malfunction as "an unanticipated exposure of bodily parts." Global Language Monitor
Global Language Monitor

The Global Language Monitor is an Austin, Texas, Texas-based company that collectively documents, analyzes and tracks trends in language usage worldwide, with a particular emphasis upon the English language....
, which tracks usage of words on the internet and in newspapers worldwide, identified the term as the top Hollywood contribution to the English language
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
 (or "HollyWordie") of 2004, surpassing phrases such as girlie men
Girlie men

"Girlie men" is a pejorative term, notably used by Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger to characterize opponents in the state legislature of California over the state budget....
, Yo!
Yo

"Yo" is an United States English language slang interjection. It was highly popularized after being commonly used among Italian Americans and African Americans in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and in the entire world....
, and frass.






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A wardrobe malfunction is an instance of accidental indecent exposure
Indecent exposure

Indecent exposure is the deliberate exposure by a person of a portion or portions of his or her own body under circumstances where such an exposure is likely to be seen as contrary to the local commonly accepted standards of decency , and may in fact be a violation of law....
 of intimate part
Intimate part

An intimate, personal or private part is a place on the human body which it is usually customary to keep covered with clothing in public areas, as a matter of decency....
s. It is different from flashing
Exhibitionism

Exhibitionism, known variously as flashing, apodysophilia and Lady Godiva syndrome, is the psychological need and pattern of behavior involving the exposure of parts of the body to another person with a tendency toward an extravagant, usually at least partially sexually inspired behavior to attract the attention of another...
, which implies a deliberate exposure. There has been a long history of such malfunction, though the term itself was coined in the 2000s.

Linguistic phenomenon

The American Dialect Society
American Dialect Society

The American Dialect Society, founded in 1889, is a learned society "dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it." The Society publishes the academic journal, American Speech....
 defines a wardrobe malfunction as "an unanticipated exposure of bodily parts." Global Language Monitor
Global Language Monitor

The Global Language Monitor is an Austin, Texas, Texas-based company that collectively documents, analyzes and tracks trends in language usage worldwide, with a particular emphasis upon the English language....
, which tracks usage of words on the internet and in newspapers worldwide, identified the term as the top Hollywood contribution to the English language
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
 (or "HollyWordie") of 2004, surpassing phrases such as girlie men
Girlie men

"Girlie men" is a pejorative term, notably used by Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger to characterize opponents in the state legislature of California over the state budget....
, Yo!
Yo

"Yo" is an United States English language slang interjection. It was highly popularized after being commonly used among Italian Americans and African Americans in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and in the entire world....
, and frass. The term was also one of the new entrants into the Chambers Dictionary
Chambers Dictionary

The eleventh edition of The Chambers Dictionary of the English language was published in August 2008 by Chambers Harrap.William Chambers of Glenormiston and Robert Chambers, the original writers of The Chambers Dictionary, lived in a small town in the Scottish Borders called Peebles....
 in 2008, along with electrosmog, carbon footprint
Carbon footprint

A carbon footprint is ?the total set of GHG emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual,organization, event or product? . An individual, nation or organization's carbon footprint is measured by undertaking a GHG emissions assessment....
, credit crunch
Credit crunch

A credit crunch is a reduction in the general availability of loans or a sudden tightening of the conditions required to obtain a loan from the banks....
, and social networking. The dictionary defines it as "the temporary failure of an item of clothing to do its job in covering a part of the body that it would be advisable to keep covered". Another source defines it as accidental and indecent exposure of body parts by a fault in someone's clothing (especially that of a performer) or by an error made while changing this costume.

The term was used by singer Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake

Justin Randall Timberlake is an United Statesn pop music singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. He has won six Grammy Awards as well as an Emmy Award....
 on February 1, 2004 to explain the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy

Super Bowl XXXVIII, which was broadcast Broadcasting#Recorded or live on February 1, 2004 from Houston, Texas on the CBS television network in the United States, was noted for a controversial halftime show in which Janet Jackson's breast, which had the nipple completely uncovered, was exposed by Justin Timberlake for exactly 9/16 of a second, in...
, the incident during Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII

Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 NFL season....
 in which Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson

Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Born in Gary, Indiana and raised in Encino, Los Angeles, California, she is the youngest child of the Jackson family of musicians....
's right breast was bared. The print version of the Urban Dictionary
Urban Dictionary

Urban Dictionary is a World Wide Web dictionary of slang words and phrases. The site also features slang assocated with virtual communities and sub/counter-culture public figures....
 describes it as "an accidental or supposedly accidental failure of clothing to cover parts of the body intended to be covered, made famous by Justin Timberlake during a Super Bowl halftime when he tore off Janet Jackson's clothes." After the Super Bowl incident, the term wardrobe malfunction appeared in 5,028 stories in major U.S. consumer and business publications, newspapers, and television and radio broadcasts. Journalist Eric Alterman
Eric Alterman

Eric Alterman is a American liberalism#Liberal consensus.2C 1970 to the present day American journalist, author, media critic, wikt:Blogger, and educator, possibly best known for the political weblog named Altercation, which was hosted by MSNBC from 2002 until 2006, moved to Media Matters for America until December 2008, and is n...
 described the incident as "the most famous 'wardrobe malfunction' since Lady Godiva
Lady Godiva

Godiva , c. 997 ? 10 September 1067, was an Anglo-Saxons noblewoman who, according to legend, rode nudity through the streets of Coventry, in England, in order to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation imposed by her husband on his tenants....
."

The American Dialect Society received a number of related terms for "word of the year
Word of the year

The word of the year, sometimes capitalized as Word of the Year and abbreviated WOTY or WotY, refers to any of various assessments as to the most important word or expression in the public sphere during a specific year....
" nominations in 2004, including Janet moment (unplanned bodily exposure at a public function), boobgate (scandal over Janet Jackson's exposed breast), nipplegate (like boobgate, but used earlier in squawk over John Elway
John Elway

John Albert Elway, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback. He played his college football at Stanford Cardinal football and his entire professional career for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League ....
's possible nipple ring) and wardrobe malfunction (overexposure in a mammary way). The term has been translated into other languages to describe similar incidents, including garderobe defect (Dutch
Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic languages spoken by over 22 million people as a first language, and about 5 million people as a second language."1% of the EU population claims to speak Dutch well enough in order to have a conversation." Outside the European Union the number of second language speakers of Dutch is very small. Most native...
), incident de garde-robe or défaut de fonctionnement de garde-robe (French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
), Garderobenstörung (German
German language

German is a West Germanic languages, thus related to and classified alongside English language and Dutch language. It is one of the world's world language and the most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union....
), disfunzione del guardaroba or incidente del guardaroba (Italian
Italian language

Italian is a Romance languages spoken by about 63 million people as a first language, primarily in Italy. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four Linguistic geography of Switzerlands....
), and malfuncionamiento del guardarropa (Spanish
Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
).

Social phenomenon


In DJing for Dummies, John Steventon describes a range of wardrobe malfunctions, from a revelation of buttock cleavage
Buttock cleavage

Buttock cleavage is minor exposure of the buttocks and the gluteal cleft between them, often because of low-slung trousers. Female buttock cleavage regained popularity in the 21st century....
 to visible panty line
Panty line

A prominent, visible panty line or VPL occurs when the outline of one's underpants becomes visible through one's clothes. There may be a ridge or depression in the clothes, or the clothes may be slightly see-through....
s. In some U.S. cities, low hanging pants
Low-rise jeans

Low-rise jeans, worn by both men and women, are jeans intended to sit low on, or below, the Hip . They are also called lowcut jeans, hipsters, hip-huggers and lowriders....
 and whale tail
Whale tail

Whale tail is the Y-shaped waistband of a Thong or g-string when visible above the waistline of low-rise jeans, shorts, or a skirt that resembles a whale's tail....
 flashing (thong
Thong (clothing)

The thong is an undergarment and swimwear, worn by both sexes but more commonly women, in a style characterized by a thin strip of material along the center of the garment?s back designed to sit between the wearer?s buttocks, connected directly to the bottom front of the garment and to both sides of the front at the top via a waistband....
 exposed over the top of pants
Trousers

Trousers are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately . Such items of clothing are often referred to as pants in countries such as Canada, South Africa and The United States....
 or skirt
Skirt

A skirt is a tube- or cone-shaped garment that hangs from the waist and covers all or part of the legs.In European culture, skirts are usually considered woman clothing....
s) are considered to be wardrobe malfunctions, and may be violations of school dress codes. Bikini
Bikini

File:Girl with red flowered bikini.jpgA bikini or two piece is a women's swimsuit with two parts, one covering the breasts , the other the groin , leaving an uncovered area between the two ....
s also present celebrity wardrobe malfunction opportunities to the paparazzi
Paparazzi

File:Paparazzi by David Shankbone.jpgPaparazzi is a plural term for photographers who take unstaged and/or candid photographys of celebrities caught unaware....
, in the form of wedgie
Wedgie

A wedgie is having one's underwear or other garments "wedged" between the buttocks. This can occur naturally, due to tight garments or physical activity; this is referred to as the underwear "riding up"....
s or bikini-top malfunctions. Celebrity upskirt
Upskirt

Upskirt is a :slang term usually referring to up skirt photography, images of the view up a woman's skirt , including shots of a woman's underwear or crotch, or exposing her vulva or buttocks....
s and nip slips – like those of Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Dee Lohan is an United States actress, fashion model and pop music singer. Lohan started in show business as a Child modeling for magazine advertisement and television commercials....
, Britney Spears
Britney Spears

'Britney Jean Spears' is a Grammy Awards-winning American pop music singer, dancer, actress, and glamour model.Raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Louisiana, Spears first appeared on national television in 1992 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The New Mickey Mouse Club#199...
, and Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton

Paris Whitney Hilton is an United States socialite, celebutante, heiress, Model , media personality, singer and occasional actress.She is known for her appearance in a 1 Night in Paris in 2004, her appearance on the television series The Simple Life, her several minor film roles , her 2004 tongue-in-cheek autobiography, her 2006 album...
 – have been described as deliberate wardrobe malfunctions to draw public attention. In Wedding Planning and Management: Consultancy for Diverse Clients, Maggie Daniels warns, "With so many people involved in the wedding party, a wardrobe malfunction is guaranteed to happen." In Cheer!: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders, Kate Torgovnick warns of wardrobe malfunctions while cheerleading
Cheerleading

Cheerleading is a sport that uses organized routines that range from 1 minute to 3 minutes made from elements of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and List of cheerleading stunts to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games and matches and/or compete at cheerleading competitions....
. One instance of wardrobe malfunction occurred on The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right

The Price Is Right is an United States television game show that is currently owned by the FremantleMedia subsidiary of the RTL Group. It was originally created by Bob Stewart for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions in the United States in 1956, and was significantly revamped by them in 1972....
 in 1977 involving contestant Yolanda Bowsley, though such incidents were not called by that name at the time.

Nipple slip

Nipple slip, an associated term, is the accidental exposure of a woman's nipple
Nipple

In its most general form, a nipple is a structure from which a fluid emanates. More specifically, it is the projection on the breasts of a mammal by which breast milk is delivered to a mother's young....
 in public. Occurrences are seized on by the paparazzi
Paparazzi

File:Paparazzi by David Shankbone.jpgPaparazzi is a plural term for photographers who take unstaged and/or candid photographys of celebrities caught unaware....
 and on celebrity gossip blogs and websites. A nipple slip can in some cases be avoided by the use of lingerie tape
Lingerie tape

Lingerie tape, also known as cleavage tape, fashion tape and tit tape, is a double-sided adhesive tape, used to secure the edges of a strapless Dress or top to the cleavage or side of the breasts or on shoulders to secure bra straps from slipping, in order to keep the item of clothing in place and to avoid a wardrobe malfu...
.

History


1960s

  • The singer P. J. Proby
    P. J. Proby

    P. J. Proby is a singer, songwriter, and actor noted for his theatrical portrayals of Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison, plus interpretations of old standards in the vein of Billy Eckstine, Nat King Cole and Tony Bennett....
     became notorious in Britain for splitting his tight trousers during his act.


See also

  • Celebrity sex tape
    Celebrity sex tape

    A celebrity sex tape is a home movies of sex acts, as performed by a celebrity and his or her partner, which finds Internet and/or Bootleg recording and occasionally legitimate commercial distribution and made available to an audience for which it was not supposedly intended....
  • Nude celebrities on the Internet
    Nude celebrities on the Internet

    The Internet has been popular for transmission of Internet pornography. One genre that has become popular is images and celebrity sex tape of nude celebrity....
  • Voyeurism
    Voyeurism

    In clinical psychology, voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other activity usually considered to be of a private nature....


External links

  • , Keith Brown and Adam Candeub, Brigham Young University Law Review
    Brigham Young University

    Brigham Young University , located in Provo, Utah, United States, is a Private education, coeducational research university owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
  • on CelebGuru.com
  • on The Sunday Times
    The Sunday Times (Western Australia)

    The Sunday Times is a News Corporation-owned Sunday tabloid newspaper distributed throughout Western Australia. The paper's circulation was 353,000 in 2005, up from 340,000 in 2001....