the.com/midriff
the original word for the diaphragm, hijacked by crop tops to mean belly real estate
means The middle part of the human body, between the chest and the waist — and the region of belly often left bare by short tops.
from From Old English 'midhrif,' a fusion of 'mid' (middle) and 'hrif' (belly), the latter related to words for the womb and the abdomen. For centuries it named the diaphragm or the body's middle; the modern sense of 'bare midsection of the abdomen' is a much later, fashion-driven shift.
- old english
- mid plus hrif, literally middle of the belly
- breathing muscle
- originally named the diaphragm, not bare skin
- fashion shift
- meaning migrated to exposed torso by the 1940s
- wartime trend
- fabric rationing helped popularize midriff-baring tops
for instance
britney spears 2000 vmas — iconic exposed belly button performance that defined early 2000s fashion trend
paris hilton 2000s — consistently wore visible midriff with rhinestone-studded bikini tops and ultra-low jeans throughout the decade