Whale Tail - History

History

The rising popularity of low-rise jeans led to increased exposure of thong tops in the early 2000s, which quickly became mainstream as a Gucci model revealed one on the catwalk, Melanie Blatt of All Saints was photographed flashing her thong as she got out of a taxi, and Victoria Beckham suggested that her husband enjoyed wearing her G-strings around the home. Britney Spears has been portrayed as a major contributor to the whale tail's popularity. Her whale tail flashing has been referred to in such creative literature books as Married to a Rock Star by Shemane Nugent, Thong on Fire by Noire, The Magical Breasts of Britney Spears by Ryan G. Van Cleave, and Off-Color by Janet McDonald. The Oregonian, a Portland, Oregon, newspaper, wrote in 2004 that an abundance of whale tails had become a distraction on the campus. Social commentator Ann C. Hall identified this campus trend as an "apparent intersection between everyday campus fashion and soft porn". The layered clothing trend of the early 2000s was partly led by the whale tail style that incorporates hip-hugger jeans, crop tops and high riding thongs popularized by celebrities.