If you don’t mind a coochie wedgie, the whale tail trend may be for you
OMG. Okay, so these are my OBSESSION CONFESSIONS. I know, maybe it’s a little embarrassing, but come on… Surely I can’t be the only one? This series is about all the things that we can’t take our eyes off, the latest viral TikTok trends, the secret infatuations with certain former boyband members…okay I’m only going to say this one more time, surely I can’t be the only one?
Alright, calm down everybody. No, I'm not David Attenborough, and sadly no, I’m not reporting to you on our planet’s diverse marine life. There's something much more urgent to be discussed: thongs pulled up above the waistline…
Defined as a ‘whale tail’, the latest trend to hit the streets (thank God we’re allowed outside again) is the Y-shaped waistband of a thong being pulled up above the waistline of your favourite denim jeans and trousers, resembling none other than, you guessed it, the shape of a whale's tail. The news that this ‘00s trend is making a comeback may not fill everyone with joy. After all, wedgies aren't exactly comfortable (unless you're into that kind of thing). I hate to break it to you, some things are just unavoidable. Like Covid and the snow we’ve had in April, you just have to deal with it. So, get comfortable and let me explain to you why we should all be obsessed with our backsides.
First adorned by the lovely ladies of burlesque in the ‘30s, thongs came to be seen as not only an undergarment designed to prevent visible panty lines, but a somewhat scandalous piece of lingerie. For his Spring/Summer 1997 collection, JEAN PAUL GAULTIER sent his models down the runway wearing thongs and briefs exposed above the trousers. Fast forward a few years, and the it-girls of the noughties, BRITNEY, X-TINA and PARIS, were all hiking up their thongs. Even the likes of GILLIAN ANDERSON and HALLE BERRY were adorning these wedgie-like fashions on the red carpet. But like all trends, it fizzled out, and by the turn of the decade we were all wearing Topshop’s Joni jeans that were so high waisted they practically grazed our boobs.
But the story wasn’t over. In an unlikely turn of events, the thong snuck its way back into our lives a few years later along with the re-emergence of y2k juggernauts, JUICY COUTURE and CROCS. Instead of our early teen idols, it was ALEXA DEMIE, BELLA HADID and HAILEY BIEBER, or queer designers like Parisian-based LUDOVIC DE SAINT SERNIN. Thanks to these star-studded fashionistas, 2021 has welcomed the ‘whale tail’ in all its glory, so much so that many Depop regulars and IG it-girls have gone to the next level, sporting an array of brightly bedazzled and embroidered pieces pulled up higher than seems physically possible. I suppose if you’ve gone to the effort of buying it, why not show it off? It's jewellery for the lower back, after all, and from some of our favourite young brands like SUBSURFACE, I.AM.GIA and KAI FRY.
Celebrities are known for making provocative and bold fashion statements (I mean, how else would Perez Hilton and TMZ survive?), but the everyday person isn't always expected to do the same. With that in mind, why is it that so many of us gals and gays have jumped on the wedgie trend? Chantell Fenton, Senior Editor of Intimates and Swimwear at WGSN, says the G-string is being reclaimed by women who are dressing “for their pleasure as opposed to the male gaze.” Lingerie isn’t just a ‘seductive tool’, but rather, with a little help from RIHANNA'S SAVAGE X FENTY, a device for empowering the wearer. The 'whale tail' is a fun, trashy, sexy way of feeling powerful and attractive. And as long as you don't mind a coochie wedgie every now and then, I say embrace it. Trust me, you'll look stunning.
