the.com/body pillow
A six-foot hug you never have to text back.
means A long cushion sized to the human body, hugged, straddled, or tucked against for support while sleeping.
from A straightforward compound of 'body' and 'pillow' — no hidden etymology here. 'Pillow' itself traces back through Old English 'pyle' to Latin 'pulvinus,' a cushion. The body pillow as a named object is a modern (20th-century) development, popularized especially through pregnancy support pillows and later through Japanese 'dakimakura' hugging pillows, which pushed the shape into pop culture.
- origin
- Japan popularized them as dakimakura, anime included
- pregnancy use
- doctors actually recommend them for hip alignment
- peak demand
- sales spike every breakup season, aka winter