Wifebeater

I do not refer to that brainless, heartless entity who physically abuses his wife, the woman he has pledged to cherish for all the days of his life. I speak of that ubiquitous white, sleeveless, collarless undershirt that has come to be known in pop culture as the “wifebeater,” which in our country goes by the more benign name, sando.

The structure of a wifebeater is simple: it is white; made of 100-percent ribbed cotton with the neck and armholes often reinforced for durability. It usually has large armholes and a neckline that can reach as far down as mid-chest. It is also hangs down long enough to make tucking easier. It is always buttonless, collarless, and pocketless. It is generally tight but may, however, sag and loosen with continued washing and wearing. Using a wifebeater as something other than an undershirt intended to be hidden from view is generally considered a fashion faux pas. Decent, upstanding citizens should never be caught dead wearing wifebeaters or similarly revealing articles of clothing unless they are rappers, professional wrestlers, or Olympic weight lifters. 

Wikipedia defines “wifebeater” (also sometimes spelled “wife beater,” and still sometimes abbreviated simply as “beater”), as a slang term used in North America to refer to a tank-top style shirt when worn as a sole, outer layer (as opposed to being worn as an undershirt). This term is often seen as demeaning and is often associated with the similarly derogatory phrase “white trash.” I think the nickname originates from its association with aggressive, underclass males, usually living in poor conditions as frequently depicted in television shows and movies. It comes from the notion that the shirts are worn predominantly by stereotypical men who beat their wives.

This white sleeveless T-shirt's connection to domestic violence was first solidified by notorious Ike Turner in the late ‘60s who wore black tank-tops often and who was a longtime abuser of his wife, multi-awarded rock star, Tina Turner. This was reinforced in the public’s consciousness in the 1970s by box office blockbusters Rocky where both the Rocky Balboa and Polly characters sported the wifebeater and The Godfather trilogy, where James Caan as Santino, Al Pacino as Michael and Andy Garcia as Vincent, plus various Mafiosi characters with trigger-happy fingers, donned the white undershirt. In the 1980 movie Raging Bull, the main character played by Robert De Niro, a boxer, was commonly seen wearing tank-tops around the house, including the scene where he beat his wife. Countless drunk and disorderly domestic abuse suspects who shown being placed under arrest on the popular reality TV show Cops also wear such shirts. In Philippine cinema it is the likes of Ruel Vernal's character as the stepfather rapist

Here at home the sando is the de riguer house shirt for the pinoy every man and this isn't only limited to the masses. The rich, as well, happen to prefer the comfort it offers compared to other constricting types of shirts. I don't believe that a specific social class can be exclusively affiliated with the sando because just like slippers, rich and poor men alike, wear them around the house. I think the difference is that the underprivileged take more liberties and literally go to town with it. The rich, most often more educated, keep to their homes when they have their sando on. Another marked difference in the manner with which the sando is worn by the rich and the poor Filipinos is the preference for fit. Men in low-income neighborhoods are often seen in sandos that are very loose or more accurately, hanging on for dear life. They are almost always yellowed with repeated washing and the material, stretched and thinned out, the ribbing in the neckline and armholes almost nonexistent. The obvious reason for this is economics: clothes for lounging around the house will be worn until the final thread that holds it all together disintegrates. The rich, however, can afford to replace the worn-out ones as often as they like. Maybe it is not a preference after all, because some clearly do not have a choice but a default acceptance to use what is there.

I asked a gardener why it is that men like to wear wifebeaters not just at home but everywhere else and he said, "Masarap po kasi sa katawan, presko, aircon." Another man, a taho vendor, said, "e kasi, lahat naman nagsusuot nyan, di ako na rin at magaan sa katawan." I asked a friend's husband what he thinks of wifebeaters and he quickly dismissed me with "Oh, I don't use those." while his wife who was behind him kept motioning to me that he has close to a dozen in his closet, which he wears to sleep every night.

I speak for myself when I say that the entire world would be a better place without the wifebeater. Could there be anything more offensive in terms of menswear? Okay, I almost forgot: Borat’s yellow, slingshot swim trunks takes the cake. But the wifebeater comes in a very close second. 

Here are some reasons why. The first involves personal hygiene. The undershirt was first conceived of as something utilitarian: to insulate the body with an under-layer of clothing against the cold, and to absorb sweat brought on by heat.  Curiously, the wifebeater fails to fulfill any of these. The low, drooping neckline and the large scooped armholes are way too skimpy to protect against the cold, and by the same reason of lack of coverage, what seems to be the remaining half of a proper undergarment cannot absorb sweat where it matters — under the armpits. I can’t imagine a man whose sweat pools in his tummy region; it’s a bit of an odd thought. People, therefore, cannot be faulted for pinching their noses when they chance upon men in their wifebeaters — body odor and poor grooming practices have become synonymous with this little white piece of garment.

The second involves the argument that it fulfills aesthetic purposes. Fans of the wifebeater claim that if one has the physique of David Beckham then he has every right to sport a wifebeater. I say, however, that if one is lucky enough to be blessed with such a body, ditch the wifebeater and flaunt the chest instead. Why obstruct the jaw-dropping view? Isn’t it a bit sissy-ish to come within final few inches of baring all, then opting to hold back as though it were a last-minute chickening out? This only prompts the beholder to conclude that one is trying to hide something — the absence of six-pack abs, perhaps.
 
And how, pray tell, can the wifebeater ever be considered aesthetically sound when it was engineered to expose sprouts of unsightly underarm hair; when its whiteness highlights hideous stretch marks; when it accentuates a bulging belly; and when it flashes the occasional nipple?

When I spot a man in a wifebeater I always expect to see some accompanying scratching — whether it’s on the beer belly or on other parts of the nether regions capped by the final flourish of toe- or nose-picking for full effect. I don’t remember a time when the sight of it ever conjured thoughts of sexiness or handsomeness (Ed: Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire, perhaps?). So, avid fans of said shirt, take heed: wifebeaters are not sexy and never will be! Even if the wearer is Brad Pitt, that shirt will not be transformed into anything other than what it really is — a wifebeater. 

It doesn’t matter who you might be; you could be Daniel Craig as 007 or Gerard Butler in 300; if you wear a wifebeater outside the privacy of your own home (oh, wait: make that outside the comfort of your bedroom; no, wait: make that outside the confines of your bathroom), you will still look like a smelly, grimy, domestic abuser. You may be wearing the most expensive of bespoke trousers or the most prized pair of alligator lace-up shoes, but if your top is a wifebeater you remain exactly that.

Hold on, though: there may be one exception. Edward Norton, in his lead role in the movie American History X, is a totally different story. Because of the character he portrayed, because of the plot, and simply because he is Ed Norton, one of the most gifted yet underrated actors of all time, to my mind, he just might be forgiven — just might.

You might argue that you wear the wifebeater because your wife doesn’t seem to mind. Well, heaven bless her soul; she is sure to be reincarnated as Angelina Jolie for her tolerance.

What, then, may men wear in terms of undershirts? There are two options: first, there is the basic, versatile, white short-sleeved crew neck tee, which is as neat, as decent, and as sexy as undergarments go; second, there is the V-neck short-sleeved tee, which is a variation of the former. With these two choices available at the same price, there really is no excuse for the wifebeater to exist, certainly not in your wardrobe. None at all.