Buttock cleavage is minor exposure of the

buttocks The buttocks (singular: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most mammals, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are composed ...

and the

intergluteal cleft The intergluteal cleft or just gluteal cleft, also known by a number of synonyms, including natal cleft, butt crack, and cluneal cleft, is the groove between the buttocks that runs from just below the sacrum to the perineum, so named because it f ...

between them, often because of

low-rise pants Low-rise pants, also known as "low-cut jeans", "lowriders" or "rap pants", are a type of pants that sit low on, or below, the hips, usually at least 8 centimetres (3 inches) lower than the navel. Low-rise pants have been available since the ...

. The ''crena'' is a formal term for the cleft between the buttocks.

History

When faced with indecency issues back in the 1930s, W. G. Cassidy explained in an essay titled "Private Parts: A Judicial View" that exposure of a buttock cleavage may come under "other private parts" in Australian law, though indecency generally involves exposure of the

genital area A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, a ...

. In the early

2000s File:2000s decade montage3.png, From top left, clockwise: The World Trade Center on fire and the Statue of Liberty during the 9/11 attacks in 2001; the euro enters into European currency in 2002; a statue of Saddam Hussein being toppled during th ...

, it became fashionable for young women and men to expose their buttocks this way, often in tandem with low rise jeans. ''

The Cincinnati Enquirer ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'' is a morning daily newspaper published by Gannett in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. First published in 1841, the ''Enquirer'' is the last remaining daily newspaper in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, al ...

'' called it the "new cleavage", and expressed views that "It's virtually impossible to find jeans to cover your hipbone". In August 2001, '' The Sun'' celebrated a "bum cleavage week" claiming that "bums are the new tits". In reaction to this trend, ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

'' aired a

parody advertisement A parody advertisement is a fictional advertisement for a non-existent product, either done within another advertisement for an actual product, or done simply as parody of advertisements—used either as a way of ridiculing or drawing negative atte ...

in their April 16, 2006 episode for a product called ''Neutrogena Coin Slot Cream'', in which host

Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress and singer. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at the age of three. Having appeared as a regular on the television soap opera '' An ...

appeared. British designer

Alexander McQueen Lee Alexander McQueen CBE (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier. He founded his own Alexander McQueen label in 1992, and was chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. His achievements in fashio ...

was particularly mentioned as the originator of buttock cleavage-revealing jeans, known as the "bumster", in cultural critique

Sheila Jeffreys Sheila Jeffreys (born 13 May 1948) is a former professor of political science at the University of Melbourne, born in England. A lesbian feminist scholar, she analyses the history and politics of human sexuality. Jeffreys' argument that the "s ...

' ''Beauty and Misogyny: Harmful Cultural Practices in the West''. United States Patent 6473908 from 2002 registers a design for trousers with a removable buttock cleavage-revealing portion. In the mid-2000s, ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. ...

'' reported on a rise of popularity of the buttock cleavage among celebrities. In a 2002 interview with Ultimate-Guitar.com, pop singer

Avril Lavigne Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, '' Let Go'' (2002), is the best-selling album of the 2 ...

was quoted as saying: "My buttcrack showing is like my trademark.". In 2010s, media reported rise in popularity among females of ultra-short

miniskirts A miniskirt (sometimes hyphenated as mini-skirt, separated as mini skirt, or sometimes shortened to simply mini) is a skirt with its hemline well above the knees, generally at mid-thigh level, normally no longer than below the buttocks; and a ...

and

shorts Shorts are a garment worn over the pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they ...

, which publicly exposed "underbuns" (i.e. lower part of

– also referred as underbutts or "reverse buttock cleavage"), due to endorsement by celebrities such as

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

Lexicon

The terms ''plumber butt'' or ''plumber's crack'' (Canadian, Australian, and American English) and ''builder's bum'' (British English) refer to the exposure of male buttock cleavage, especially on occasions of careless bending over. The expression "builder's bum" was first recorded in 1988. The terms are based on the popular impression that work in these professions frequently involves bending over in locations where bystanders are observing from the rear. In the Netherlands the term and in Germany and in Poland is used, which can be translated as "builder's/mason's/plumber's cleavage". In France, it is usually referred to as , which translates to "the plumber's smile".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Buttock Cleavage 2000s fashion Cleavage Human appearance

History

Lexicon

See also

References

External links