Awardrobe malfunction is aclothing failure that accidentally exposes a person'sintimate parts. It is different from deliberate incidents ofindecent exposure orpublic flashing.Justin Timberlake first used the term when apologizing for theSuper Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy during the2004 Grammy Awards, saying that he accidentally revealedJanet Jackson's breast instead of just her brassiere. The phrasewardrobe malfunction was in turn used by the media to refer to the incident and enteredpop culture.[1] There was a long history of such incidents before the term was coined and it has since become common.
TheAmerican Dialect Society defines "wardrobe malfunction" as "an unanticipated exposure of bodily parts".[2] The term was also one of the new entrants into theChambers Dictionary in 2008, along with words likeelectrosmog,carbon footprint,credit crunch andsocial networking.[3] The dictionary defines it as "the temporary failure of an item of clothing to do its job in covering a part of the body that it would be advisable to keep covered."[4]
The term was first used on February 2, 2004 by Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson in a statement attempting to explain theSuper Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy, during which Jackson's right breast was exposed. Timberlake apologized for the incident, stating he was "sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl..."[5] The termwardrobe malfunction appeared in numerous stories in major US consumer and business publications, newspapers, and major TV and radio broadcasts.[6] JournalistEric Alterman described the incident as "the most famous 'wardrobe malfunction' sinceLady Godiva."[7]
The American Dialect Society had a number of related terms forword of the year nominations in 2004, includingJanet moment ("unplanned bodily exposure at a public function"),boobgate ("scandal over Janet Jackson's exposed breast"),nipplegate (like boobgate, "but used earlier in squawk over Jackson's possible nipple ring"), andwardrobe malfunction ("overexposure in a mammary way").[8] People came up with clever terms to describe an occurrence ofaccidental nudity, likenipple slip ornip slip.
AfterBrigitte Bardot gained international fame in 1953 as theBikini girl of theFrench Riviera,paparazzi popularized revealing accidents or staged events with women's swimwear throughout the decade. For one of many instances, acheesecake photo of rising starletDaliah Lavi adjusting her bikini after it broke while at aRio de Janeiro swimming pool was widely circulated byAssociated Press in 1959.[9]
On February 1, 2004, thehalftime show ofSuper Bowl XXXVIII was broadcast live from Houston, Texas, on the CBS television network in the United States. During the show, Justin Timberlakemistakenly removed a portion of Janet Jackson's costume, exposing for about half a second her breast adorned with a nipple shield. This was the first recorded usage of the term "wardrobe malfunction".[10] The incident, sometimes referred to as Nipplegate,[11][12] was news worldwide. MTV's chief executive said that Jackson had planned the stunt and Timberlake was informed of it just moments before he took the stage.[13][14] The stunt was broadcast live to a total audience of 143.6 million viewers.[15]
In July 2012, Australian modelMiranda Kerr inadvertently revealed herthong while buckling her son into a car seat, which was described as a "wardrobe malfunction".[16]
In November 2013, English modelAbbey Clancy revealed a whale tail while lifting her daughter into a car, which theDaily Mirror described as a "wardrobe malfunction".[17]
At the 2016NFL draft combine, American football playerChris Jones ripped his compression shorts in the crotch during the40-yard dash, and his genitals were seen live on television.[18][19]
On August 16, 2023, during a livestream, American internet personalityIShowSpeed jumped up from his seat while playingFive Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach, and accidentally flashed his penis to a live viewership of 25,000 people.[20][21]
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