# What good are "wife-beaters"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 19, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627 "2005-05-19T20:10:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/1 "2005-05-19T20:10:53Z")
Sometimes I think we need a “MPQIMA” (Mundane, Pointless Questions I Must Ask) forum for questions of this sort: What the heck is the point of “wife-beater” undershirts? Other than admirably serving as the official uniform of spousal abusers everywhere, what are they good for? To me the primary purpose of an undershirt is to prevent sweat for staining and smelling up one’s outer dress shirt. Most of this sweat and staining usually comes from the armpits. I think you see my point. Two different answers have been presented to me already and I’m not buying either one of them. Someone said that wife-beaters still provide sweat protection from areas other than the armpit. True, but then again so does a undershirt with sleeves and that ALSO protects staining in the armpits. Next. Well then, another person opined, perhaps they are useful for providing some clothing protection when it is too hot to wear a sleeved undershirt. Perhaps they do. But your main problem by far is still going to be your pits. So if its so hot and you’re going to ruin your dress shirt anyway, why not just go without any undershirt at all? (One idea I had was that wife-beaters were invented exclusively for Marlon Brando.) ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/2 "2005-05-19T20:15:43Z")
Wild guess – a throwback to more modest times when it was improper for even men to bare their chests in public? ---
**Author:** ![La\_Llorona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@La\_Llorona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/La_Llorona)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/3 "2005-05-19T20:20:11Z")
Hey, no shirt, no shoes, no service. If you want to go somewhere outside of your house, you’ve pretty much got to be wearing _something_ on your top half, and “wife-beaters” are about the minimum permissible standard of clothing for men…women, too, come to think of it. Other than that, I have no idea. Maybe they like the cool, refreshing breeze under their… …never mind. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/4 "2005-05-19T20:22:27Z")
I find they make excellent workout/hanging around the house clothes. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/5 "2005-05-19T20:23:38Z")
Well, the most obvious purpose for them is that they look absolutely incredible when worn by a woman. Second to that, I think the key is that they are cooler than a full undershirt. I think your premise is flawed, I don’t suppose that the primary reason for them is to prevent your sweating up the shirt. Its more for the comfort of the wearer. While this is not as big an issue these days, the dress shirts men wore in the past were somewhat heavily starched, rigid and generally not made of the most forgiving material. A mans arms and shoulders aren’t particularly sensitive so the sleeves can be omitted when it benefits cooling. However, the nipples, and belly can be more delicate and likely will see alot of movement between the fabric and the skin. Undershirts provide a layer of protection for this friction. The shirt moves, the undershit doesn’t, the wearers nipples don’t get raw. Plus the wife beater still prevents sweat stains on the back, and frankly the shirt will stick to that unlike the pits. So thats probably a bigger sweat issue than the pits. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/6 "2005-05-19T20:24:28Z")
They’re basically just undershirts that have somehow made it to outerwear. I asked a roommate who does wear these ghastly things (under his shirt, as God intended) why he did. He said it kept him warm. I scoffed. Then I decided to try it for a day. Dagnabbit, he was right. I have to say that I found it uncomfortable and would rather go with the classic white underSHIRT, but, hey to each his own. As for the outerwear phenomena…I pray someone has the answers. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/7 "2005-05-19T20:27:51Z")
I am convinced the purpose of ‘wife-beaters’ is to intentionally brew armpit funk, which for some reason, is irresistible to the women you see with these men. Same reason Nascar dudes tear the sleeves of a perfectly good shirt; their women get aroused by rank pits. ---
**Author:** ![bradministrator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a698b9/32.png) [@bradministrator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bradministrator)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/8 "2005-05-19T20:36:50Z")
I like them because they don’t puff up in the shoulders like t-shirt undershirts tend to do when wearing dress shirts. Sure, I could wear tighter t-shirts, but they feel much more constrictive than wife-beaters. Plus, my grandfather wore them, so they just seem _right_ somehow. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/9 "2005-05-19T20:48:28Z")
“Wife beater” is such an offensive, politically incorrect term! I prefer to call them “Dago Tees.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/10 "2005-05-19T20:48:58Z")
> [@La Llorona](#): > > Hey, no shirt, no shoes, no service. If you want to go somewhere outside of your house, you’ve pretty much got to be wearing _something_ on your top half, and “wife-beaters” are about the minimum permissible But they were originally meant (I think) as underwear. As outerwear they are just Tank Tops and are not applicable to my question. ---
**Author:** ![Susie\_Derkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Susie\_Derkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susie_Derkins)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/11 "2005-05-19T20:53:14Z")
My boyfriend wears them under his shirts at work to prevent nipple chafing. His job is very demanding physically, and his poor nips were getting rubbed raw by his shirts as he moved. The “wife-beaters” cling enough so that he doesn’t get that friction, and they are cooler than a full t-shirt would be. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/12 "2005-05-19T21:27:02Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > “Wife beater” is such an offensive, politically incorrect term! I prefer to call them “Dago Tees.” 😃 I’m with Dropzone. We always called them dago Ts when we were kids. Although Wifebeater cracks me up. As politically incorrect as it may be. They look great on men and women. I love them. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/13 "2005-05-19T21:33:25Z")
> [@I Love Me](#): > > (One idea I had was that wife-beaters were invented exclusively for Marlon Brando.) Stanley Kowalski wore[T-shirt style](http://www.threemoviebuffs.com/review.php?movieID=streetcarnameddesire) undershirts, not a wife beater (which are labeled in department stores as “A-shirts”). ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/14 "2005-05-19T21:50:13Z")
Muscle shirts, people. They’re called muscle shirts! Sheesh, my husband wears them and I am certainly never beaten. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/15 "2005-05-19T22:03:46Z")
> [@The Sausage Creature](#): > > Muscle shirts, people. They’re called muscle shirts! Sheesh, my husband wears them and I am certainly never beaten. My God, he’s a bigamist! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/16 "2005-05-19T22:10:39Z")
I always wear a singlet (which is what they’re called here in Australia). It soaks up sweat during summer and keeps me warmer during winter. I simply can’t bear the feeling of a shirt next to my skin. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/17 "2005-05-19T22:15:45Z")
> [@The Sausage Creature](#): > > Muscle shirts, people. They’re called muscle shirts! Sheesh, my husband wears them and I am certainly never beaten. Nope. A [muscle shirt](http://www.melsworld.homestead.com/files/Vin_Diesel___gray_muscle_shirt.jpg) is like a regular t=shirt witout sleeves. The armholes and the neckline are higher than a [wife beater’s](http://www.chicanobuilt.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/products/09.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/18 "2005-05-19T22:17:39Z")
One advantage of what _I_’d call a regular undershirt over a T-type undershirt is that cooling by sweating works better. I for one wear regular undershirts in summer (when I sweat my skin gets cooled, not my undershirt) and T-undershirts for the rest of the year. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/19 "2005-05-19T22:30:46Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Stanley Kowalski wore[T-shirt style](http://www.threemoviebuffs.com/review.php?movieID=streetcarnameddesire) undershirts, not a wife beater (which are labeled in department stores as “A-shirts”). Thanks for posting what I had almost said. I couldn’t be sure of other early roles of Brando’s where he may have used the wife-beater as a preferred top, but I was nearly positive Stanley was in an off-white T shirt most of the time. I seem to recall Brando criticizing James Dean for wearing his (Brando’s) last year’s uniform when commenting on Dean’s **Rebel Without A Cause** attire. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627/20 "2005-05-19T22:37:01Z")
A muscle shirt or muscle tee is not the same as a wife-beater / dago tee (BTW, that’s also a rather offensive term) They’re more of a sleeveless (but with somewhat scooped out armholes) regular t-shirt, instead of the 'beater’s skinny shoulder straps. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-are-wife-beaters/304627.md?page=2)