The Surprising History Of The Tank Top

Tank Top is the most popular item in our wardrobe now as the summer months are upon us. It can be worn with a jacket and smart jeans, or over pajamas and to bed.

Tank tops keep your arms and neck cool while they cover the rest of your upper body. They provide just the right amount of coverage when the temperature is warm.

When did tank tops make their way into modern society?

Before the 1920s, men and women could not be seen displaying their arms in public. However, the Roaring Twenties brought a revolution in the world of fashion and clothing.

Women were cutting their hair short, wearing clothes that were more revealing than previous trends, and enjoying human contact levitra alternative (like rebellious hand-holding!) with their male partners while dancing or walking down the street.

Tank Tops in the Olympic Games

Women’s swimming was introduced in the 1912 Olympic Games held in Stockholm, Sweden. A total of 27 women competed in swimming events at these particular Games, and their swimwear was considered “indecent” by many news outlets and viewers.

The costumes they wore were similar to the modern-day tank top, but with an added piece that resembled shorts to cover the upper half of the thighs.

Although we might call it a “swimming pool” these days, in the 1920s, it was known as a swimming “tank”.

Thus, the items worn by female swimmers were referred to as “tank suits”, in other words, a suit that was worn in a tank!

Tank suits were made from a variety of materials, including silk, which was often considered too unnecessary to be seen after going into the water.

Cotton was also used, and heavy woolen materials were considered the most modest because they were so dense and secretive.

A tank suit had straps at the top that were almost identical to the straps we see on tank tops today.

Straps would hold the suit in place, but the lack of sleeves gave female swimmers the freedom of movement and flexibility they needed to reach their full potential in the pool.

The 1930s–1940s

In the 30s and 40s, tank tops were often seen worn by men in American films. Characters wearing tank tops were usually villains and were seen abusing their wives (usually physically).

Because of this, tank tops were colloquially known as “wife-beaters” in America.

In the early 1950s when A Streetcar Named Desire was released starring Marlon Brando, he wore a tank top as the character Stanley Kowalski.

His character is seen as the villain and rapes his sister-in-law Blanche DuBois at the end of the movie.

Over the years, tank tops have been worn by A-listers such as Kevin Bacon, Bruce Willis, and Nicolas Cage in films such as Footloose, Die Hard, and Con Air, bringing this clothing item into more popular culture and entertainment.

Tank Tops in the 1970s

It was only in the 1970s that men and women started wearing tank tops as regular everyday pieces of clothing.

The ’70s saw massive changes in fashion, thanks to movies, music videos, and celebrities.

Bell-bottom trousers were popular for both sexes and hot pants also came into fashion for women.

The general sense of fashion during this decade was that the top half should be tight or form-fitting and the bottom half should be loose.

As a result, many wore tank tops with loose jeans or pants with leather jackets and other materials.

As the Western world became more liberal, more people started to frequent beaches and parks during the summer, wearing less clothing to enjoy sunbathing and warm weather.

The Popularity of tank tops rose in the 1980s

Progressing into the 1980s, the tank top only succeeded in getting even more popular.

One type of tank top that was particularly popular was the Bundeswehr tank top, which emerged from surplus clothing in the German army.

These tank tops were available in many stores in America, the UK, and the rest of the Western world, with people buying them in camping shops, souvenir shops, and clothing stores.

Tank Tops in the 1990s

The 1990s saw the rise of the simple fashion trend which has continued into the present day: a tank top and a pair of jeans.

While the jeans in the 90s were more likely to be bootleg as opposed to today’s popular skinny jeans, the idea was still the same.

Tank tops were seen with strappy tops, and displaying the midriff was a firm favorite with women of the 90s, thus resulting in cropped tank tops.

Celebrities like The Spice Girls showed off their toned figures in tank tops for music videos like Wannabe in 1996.

These days, tank tops can be seen in a variety of styles and colors and are often worn to the gym, the beach, or just for a trip to the store when the sun is shining and the weather is warm.