Crop tops

A crop top (also cropped top, belly shirt, half shirt, midriff shirt, midriff top, tummy top, short shirt, and cutoff shirt) is a top, the lower part of which is high enough to expose the waist, navel, or some of the midriff. The cropping of a top in this manner is more popular among females but have since grown as a fashion trend for men as a comeback from the 80's. Bikinis and sports bras are generally not regarded as crop tops.

Crop tops have been worn by men generally during the 1970s and the 1980s. The protective gear of American Football with no shirt resembles a crop top. Eventually cropped jerseys became available which carried over to several 1980s telecasts. Men also started to wear crop tops regardless of sport. Because of the varied acceptance for men wearing no shirt (eliminating the need for a crop top), and due to a change in school dress codes as well as peer pressure, men usually have no need for crop tops. Various crop tops have been worn by rappers as well as American Football athletes. However, in 2015 the NCAA has increased restrictions on men wearing crop tops which also includes rolling up longer jerseys. However, the NFL has permitted to Elliott to wear rolled up jersey until September 2016. This is an isolated event, as most other sport uniforms (including the NFL) require men to wear long shirts. Crop tops among men have casually and gradually made a return however in later 2016 for fashion purposes. See link. - [1]

The early history of the crop top intersects with cultural attitudes towards the midriff, starting with the performance of "Little Egypt" at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. Although the crop top started gaining prominence in the fashion industry during the 1930s and 1940s — the latter in particular due to fabric rationing in World War II — it was largely confined to beachwear at the time. It was not until the sexual revolution of the late 1960s and early 1970s that it started to achieve widespread acceptance, promoted by celebrities such as Barbara Eden and Jane Birkin.

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