(Warning: link may not be work safe…if you work for a complete philistine and prude.)
I was wondering—what’s the name of this muscular waistline “ridge,” (circled in red) often seen in classical sculpture? From a college art class, I seem to remember it’s called something like “The Girdle of Achilles,” (I think) and it’s supposed to be a sign of physical fitness. I think.
Can anyone enlighten me?
I am under the impression it is known as the ilia’s crest; a ridge of muscle which is only evident in the very physically fit [men, who have an easier time getting very defined muscles than do women]. You can see it sometimes if, for instance, Usher wears his pants reeaallly low.
To be honest, I’m not sure where I learned that term, nor do I have any idea how accurate it is. Google tells me that the “iliac muscle” might be substituted for the same?
That line connects the iliac crest to the pubis at the attachment of the linea alba (the “white line” running vertically between the rectus muscles) and is termed the inguinal ligament. It is the termination of many of the fibers of the external obliques, which fold inward. The more posterior muscles and fascia of the abdomen (the internal obliques and the transversus abdominis) arise from this inward fold. It’s eponym is Poupart’s ligament. It is also called the crural arch Given its importance in surgery (especially hernia repair), there are a bunch of other structures around with eponymous names: lacunar ligament= Gimbernat’s, pectilineal ligament = Cooper’s ligament, Scarpa’s fascia, Camper’s fascia, Hesselbach’s ligament, semilunar folds of Douglas Hesselbach’s triangle, etc.
Can’t find anything else along the OP’s line. I checked my anatomy textbooks, Netter’s, and Gray’s, as well as a cursory Google. I also checked a book entitled Anatomy for the Artist which it seems stays pretty close to anatomy, and doesn’t call it anything that creative.
