Why do they call them wife beater shirts?
The term wifebeater reportedly became synonymous for an undershirt after a 1947 criminal case when a Detroit man was arrested for beating his wife to death. News outlets are alleged to have printed a photo of him in a stained undershirt and referred to him as “the wife beater.”
Who came up with the term wife beater shirt?
James Hartford Jr.
According to Mic Media , how the A-shirt got associated with domestic violence came in the case of James Hartford Jr. in 1947. Hartford beat his wife to death and had a caption in the newspaper titled “the wife-beater.” But Hartford’s crime was only one part of the equation.
Where does the expression wife beater come from?
In 1947, a man named James Hartford Jr. was arrested in Detroit for beating his wife to death. In the stories about his arrest and trial, which went national, there was a picture of Hartford in a scraggly and stained white tank top; beside the picture, articles would refer to him as “the wife-beater.”
Who started the term wife beater?
A sleeveless ribbed undershirt, typically white. The term was coined in 1947. There are several theories as to how it surfaced—one is that it originated in the wake of a horrific crime that went viral. The crime was committed by a man named James Hartford Jr., who beat his wife to death.
Is it OK to say wife beater?
In the United States, a white sleeveless shirt is often referred to as a “wife-beater”. Typically I try to avoid using “wife-beater” due to its negative connotation. Sleeveless Shirt: Describes literally any shirt without sleeves. Undershirt: Available as sleeved or sleeveless shirts for both men and women.
Who is James Hartford Jr?
In 1947 in Detroit, Michigan the police arrested a local man (James Hartford, Jr.) for beating his wife to death. The news reporting constantly referring to him as “the” wife beater. This may have been the start of men wearing dirty tank-topped undershirts being referred to as people who were “wearing wife-beaters”.