Wet T-shirt contest

2025-10-24T01:37:01Z

2603:7000:8A01:1874:842E:A986:3CD4:AD7B: change to present tense

{{short description|Exhibitionist beauty contest}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
[[File:Sun Club Wet T-Shirt Contest 2012.jpg|thumb|A contestant being hosed with water in a wet T-shirt contest at the [[Nudes-A-Poppin']] pageant (2012)]]
A '''wet T-shirt contest''' is a competition involving [[exhibitionism]], typically in the form of a stage show featuring young female contestants<ref name=ABC>{{cite news|title=Wet T-shirt contests remain wildly popular in northern Australia, despite being in decline internationally|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-31/wet-t-shirt-competitions-still-popular-outback-australia/101569692#|date=30 October 2022|website=ABC News|location=Australia}}</ref> at a nightclub, bar, or resort. Wet T-shirt contestants generally wear thin white or light-colored T-shirts without bras, bikini tops, or other garments beneath. Water (often ice water) is then sprayed or poured onto the participants' chests, causing their T-shirts to turn translucent and cling to their breasts. The comparatively rarer male equivalent is the '''wet boxer contest''', sometimes held at [[gay bar]]s.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Low Rider |url-status=live |archive-date=2023-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414061021/https://books.google.at/books?id=iHIpAQAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y |magazine=[[Low Rider]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iHIpAQAAIAAJ |language=en |year=2001 |publisher=Park Avenue Design |volume=23 |issue= |page=78}}</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=April 2023}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Business students show off their assets|url=http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/97-1/issue4/assets.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311101522/http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/97-1/issue4/assets.html|archive-date=11 March 2007|access-date=2007-03-21|work=The Peak |publisher=Simon Fraser University |location=Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Wonk, Dalt|title=Halo Effect (review of ''Bar Angel'')|url=http://www.bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/2004-08-24/thea_review.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312105004/http://www.bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/2004-08-24/thea_review.html|archive-date=12 March 2007|access-date=2007-03-21}}</ref> In straight venues, contests involving men competing in wet [[briefs]] act more as a form of comedic entertainment.<ref name=ABC/>

Contestants typically take turns dancing or posing before the audience, with the outcome decided either by crowd reaction<ref name=ABC/> or by judges' vote. In racier contests, participants may tear or crop their T-shirts to expose their midriffs, cleavage, or the undersides of their breasts. Depending on local laws, participants may be allowed to remove their T-shirts or strip completely naked during their performance.

== History ==
[[File:Pouring-water-for-wet-tshirt.jpg|Water is poured from a jug over a contestant's breasts at a wet T-shirt event in [[Panama City Beach, Florida]] in 2004.|thumb]]
Wet T-shirt contests first appeared in the 1970s in the United States.<ref name=ABC/>{{efn|The Spanish festival of [[La Tomatina]], a large public tomato fight where participants become soaked with juice from tomatoes, has been suggested as another possible origin of the wet T-shirt contest, although La Tomatina began in 1945.<ref name=CH/><ref name=Kutner/>}} Filmmaker [[Dick Barrymore]] claims in his memoir ''Breaking Even'' to have held the first wet T-shirt contest at [[Sun Valley, Idaho]]'s Boiler Room Bar in January 1971, as part of a promotion for [[K2 Sports|K2]] skis.<ref name=Barrymore>{{cite book |title=Breaking Even |first1=Dick |last1=Barrymore |author-link=Dick Barrymore |year=1997 |location=Missoula, Mont. |publisher=Pictorial Histories |chapter=Chapter 20: Hot Dogs and Wet T-Shirts |isbn=9781575100371 |oclc=39924562 |chapter-url=http://www.dickbarrymore.com/book4.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225173401/http://www.dickbarrymore.com/book4.asp |archive-date=25 December 2007 |access-date=2 September 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The contest was promoted as a simple "T-shirt contest" in which airline stewardesses would dance to music wearing K2 promotional T-shirts. However, the first contestant to appear was a professional stripper who danced topless and the amateur contestants responded by drenching their T-shirts before competing. Barrymore held a second "K2 Wet T-Shirt Contest" in the Rusty Nail at [[Stowe Mountain Resort]], [[Vermont]] in order to film it, despite the fact that Stowe City Council had passed a resolution banning nudity at the event.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Skiing Heritage Journal|date=Sep 1998|volume=10|issue=3|issn=1082-2895|publisher=International Skiing History Association|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WlgEAAAAMBAJ|title=Roots of an Olympic sport: freestyle – Part II: Freestyle Comes of Age|page=27}}</ref> He held another promotional contest for K2 on 10 March 1971 at [[Aspen, Colorado]]'s [[The Red Onion]] restaurant and bar,<ref name=Barrymore/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2013/07/k2-sun-valley-aspen-the-first-wet-tshirt-contest.php |title=K2, Sun Valley, Aspen & The First Wet T-Shirt Contest |first1=Ryan |last1=Dunfee |date=3 July 2013 |publisher=Curbed Ski |access-date=2 September 2013}}</ref> and the contests were featured in a pictorial in the March 1972 issue of ''[[Playboy]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://members.i.playboy.com/Playboy-Magazine-Archive/19720301/page-151 |title=The Shirt Off Her Back |date=March 1972 |journal=[[Playboy]] |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=151–153 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230232459/http://members.i.playboy.com/Playboy-Magazine-Archive/19720301/page-151 |archive-date=30 December 2013 |access-date=14 February 2015}}</ref>

The first known mention of the term ''wet T-shirt contest'' in the press occurred in 1975 in ''[[The Palm Beach Post]]'', describing the contest's appearance at New Orleans discotheques. The contest subsequently became established at [[spring break]] events in [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida]], with some bar owners being fined under [[public indecency]] laws for holding one.<ref>{{cite news|date=11 November 1975|title=Wet T-Shirt Contests Pack Pubs|page=B20|newspaper=[[The Palm Beach Post]]|agency=[[United Press International]]|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8SYvAAAAIBAJ&pg=848,4319900&dq=history+of+the+wet+t+shirt+contest|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130216043923/http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8SYvAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qs0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=848,4319900&dq=history+of+the+wet+t+shirt+contest|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 February 2013|access-date=14 January 2013}}</ref><ref name="Kutner">{{cite web|author=Jenny Kutner|date=25 March 2016|title=The Short, Sexist History of the Wet T-Shirt Contest, a Symbol of Spring Break Debauchery|url=https://mic.com/articles/138633/the-short-sexist-history-of-the-wet-t-shirt-contest-a-symbol-of-spring-break-debauchery|access-date=13 July 2018|website=Mic}}</ref> Despite a lack of clarity as to their legal status, contests began to take place elsewhere in the United States. A contest in a Milwaukee tavern in 1976 was subject to a police raid, despite contestants wearing [[Scotch Tape]] under their T-shirts as required by the police.<ref>{{cite news|author=Ron Legro|date=16 September 1976|title=Arrests Put a Damper on Wet T-Shirt Contest|newspaper=The Milwaukee Sentinel|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=z3hQAAAAIBAJ&dq=wet%20tshirt%20contest&pg=3768%2C2512946}}{{Dead link|date=January 2023}}</ref>

[[Jacqueline Bisset]]'s appearance in the 1977 film [[The Deep (1977 film)|''The Deep'']], where she swam underwater wearing only a T-shirt for a top, helped to bring the wet T-shirt contest to broader public awareness.<ref name=CH>{{cite web |author=Chodin |title=A History of the Wet T-Shirt Contest |url=http://www.uproxx.com/feature/2010/05/a-history-of-the-wet-t-shirt-contest/ |publisher=Uproxx |date=16 May 2010 |access-date=14 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128003507/http://www.uproxx.com/feature/2010/05/a-history-of-the-wet-t-shirt-contest/ |archive-date=28 January 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> On [[Frank Zappa]]'s 1979 album ''[[Joe's Garage]]'' the track "Fembot in a Wet T-Shirt" tells of Mary from [[Canoga Park, Los Angeles|Canoga Park]] who takes part in a wet T-shirt contest in order to raise money to return home after being abandoned by a rock group in Miami.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Words and Music of Frank Zappa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uAYfqgGf4yYC|first=Kelly Fisher|last=Lowe|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|year=2007|isbn=9780803260054|page=153}}</ref>

By the 1990s wet T-shirt contests had become common at [[spring break]] celebrations, for example in Miami and Mexico.<ref name=ABC/> The 2003 American [[reality film]] ''[[The Real Cancun]]'' included a wet T-shirt contest.<ref>{{cite book|title=A Hypersexual Society: Sexual Discourse, Erotica, and Pornography in America Today|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mQjIAAAAQBAJ|first=K.|last=Kammeyer|publisher=Springer|year=2008|isbn=9780230616608|page=154}}</ref> In the 21st century the organisers of wet T-shirt contests often ban the audience from taking photographs as the combination of smartphone cameras and social media can cause problems for contestants, such as the loss of their jobs. Nevertheless, by the mid-2010s wet T-shirt contests were on the decline in the United States and they are often seen as outdated.<ref name=ABC/>

==Controversies==
===Law firm===
In 1983, the [[King & Spalding]] law firm in Atlanta asked female summer interns attending that firm's annual picnic to participate in a wet T-shirt contest. The proposed contest was replaced with a [[swimsuit competition]] and the winner was promised a permanent job on graduation.<ref>{{cite news|title=Wet T-Shirt Lawyers|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/12/23/wet-t-shirt-lawyers/c46ac2e6-2827-49a7-9041-f00ac5f21753/|date=23 December 1983|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref> Some participants said they felt humiliated but did not protest because they were candidates for jobs with the firm. ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' included details of the event in a front-page article on sex discrimination in large law firms.<ref>{{cite book|title=Follow the Story: How to Write Successful Nonfiction|first=James B.|last=Stewart|publisher=Simon and Schuster|year=1998|url=https://archive.org/details/followstoryhowto00stew|url-access=registration|isbn=9780684850672|page=[https://archive.org/details/followstoryhowto00stew/page/242 242]}}</ref> The fact that a wet T-shirt contest was proposed led to the case being used to demonstrate institutional sexism in law firms.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Why Are There So Few Black Lawyers in Corporate Law Firms: An Institutional Analysis|first1=David B.|last1=Wilkins|first2=G. Mitu|last2=Gulati|date=May 1996|volume=84|issue=3|journal=California Law Review|url=https://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1648&context=californialawreview|page=557|doi=10.2307/3480962|jstor=3480962|url-access=subscription|archive-date=29 April 2019|access-date=22 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429044932/https://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1648&context=californialawreview|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===In-flight contest===
In 1998, teenagers from [[Portland, Oregon]], celebrating the completion of high school held a wet T-shirt contest on a [[Boeing 727]] en route to a Mexican resort, with a flight attendant encouraging the activity. An [[Federal Aviation Administration|FAA]] investigation followed, as pilots supposedly judged the contest on the flight deck, disregarding rules that passengers are not allowed in the cockpit. A video showed contestants emerging from the cockpit wearing wet T-shirts. The FAA disciplined the pilots for sexual misconduct.<ref>{{cite web |author=Wet T-Shirt Blog |url=http://www.wettshirtblog.com/wet-t-shirt/flight-scandal-wet-t-shirt-contest-at-25-000-feet/ |title=Flight Scandal – wet t-shirt contest at 25.000 feet |publisher=Wet T-Shirt Blog |date=24 May 2011 |access-date=14 January 2013 |archive-date=13 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130813225539/http://www.wettshirtblog.com/wet-t-shirt/flight-scandal-wet-t-shirt-contest-at-25-000-feet/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Underage contestants===
Lawsuits have been filed on behalf of underaged contestants who lied about their age to participate in wet T-shirt contests.

In 2002, the parents of teenager Monica Pippin brought a federal lawsuit against [[Playboy Enterprises|Playboy Entertainment]], [[Anheuser-Busch]], Deslin Hotels, [[Best Buy]], and other companies relating to her appearance the previous year in a Daytona Beach wet T-shirt contest, at which time she had been a 16-year-old high school student. Pippin had danced topless during the contest and had allowed men to pour jugs of water over her bare breasts. After footage of her performance began to appear in videos and on cable television, a neighbor alerted Pippin's parents, who retained a lawyer. Although Pippin admitted in court that she had lied to contest organizers about her age, her attorney claimed that, as a minor, she was unable to give informed consent to perform or be filmed topless. Pippin settled with Anheuser-Busch and Playboy in April 2006.<ref>{{cite news |first=Kevin |last=Graham |url=http://www.SPtimes.com/2006/04/28/Hillsborough/Lawsuit_says_video_ex.shtml/ |work=St. Petersburg Times |title=Lawsuit says video exploits teen's naivete |date=28 April 2006 |access-date=15 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Graham|first=Kevin|title=Suit says video exploits spring break naivete|url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2006/04/28/suit-says-video-exploits-spring-break-naivete/|date=28 April 2006|website=Tampa Bay Times|language=en}}</ref>

In a similar suit in 2007, two women sued Deslin Hotels, [[Girls Gone Wild (franchise)|Girls Gone Wild]], and various websites that published footage of their appearance in another 2001 Daytona Beach contest. The two girls, who were both sixteen at the time, had been filmed exposing their breasts, buttocks, and pubic areas. Like Pippin, they had lied about their age to gain admission to the contest.<ref>{{cite news |author=''Times'' staff writer |url=http://www.sptimes.com/2007/03/14/Hillsborough/Two_sue_over_footage_.shtml |title=Two sue over footage of wet t-shirt contest |work=St. Petersburg Times |date=14 March 2007 |access-date=15 January 2013 |archive-date=16 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016060930/http://www.sptimes.com/2007/03/14/Hillsborough/Two_sue_over_footage_.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Aquaphilia (fetish)]]
* [[Salirophilia]]
* [[See-through clothing]]
* [[Sexual objectification]]
* [[Wet and messy fetishism]]
* [[Wet sari scene]]
* [[Wetlook]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Wet T-shirt contests}}

{{sex|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Competitions]]
[[Category:Exhibitionism]]
[[Category:T-shirts]]

Vero - Wikipedia - User contributions [en]

Wet T-shirt contest