Personally I thought the crop top first entered the casual fashion scene in the 80s, but it turns out that this midriff baring garment has been around for much longer. We can go way back to ancient Greece, where women would wrap a garment around their body in a particular way that left the midsection bare. Those ancient Greeks had it going on.
In Western fashion the crop top gained popularity in the 1940s and 50s, predominantly as recreational wear often worn on beach outings. Furthermore, my minimal lazy bit of research taught me that in the 70s the crop top became a symbol of the feminist movement, worn as a statement of liberation. A trend that was continued by the likes of Madonna in the 80s, though at that point it may simply have been just a look rather than a political statement.
If we were to go for a minute with the idea that being gay is caused by nurture rather than nature, then I would personally trace back the origins of my sexual orientation to that scene in one of the Nightmare On Elmstreet movies, in which Johnny Depp famously dons a sporty crop top with the number 10 on it. At that point I probably only had a limited understanding of why I found that attractive, rather like a shool girl might be smitten with their teacher without it being overtly sexual. I probably was too young for watching that movie in any case, come to think of it, but that image went right into the ‘daydream bank’, as I was too young for having a spank bank. Some other images of that movies got saved to the ‘nightmare bank’. Yup, that movie definitely wasn’t age appropriate when I first saw it.
This definitely wasn’t the last time such a teasing display of an all-in-all modest amount of bare skin on male physique piqued my interest. Another far less gory example was Dan Gauthier in Teen Witch, in the scene he’s getting some solo football practise in, although in that particular scene the shirt doesn’t stay on very long. Obviously this was my gateway drug into gay porn.
Crop tops remain part of today’s wardrobes, for anyone who feels confident enough to show off that much skin in public and it’s being worn by all genders, simply as a fashion choice, a way to express body positivity or just to get a bit of a breeze going on your skin on those hot days. The latest Harvey Crop by Noche is a rather extreme example which manages to push the envelope a little further by freeing the nipple. Not that men’s nipples needed any freeing these days, but still, always nice to take the puppies out for a walk in the fresh air, innit?
Credits
- Noche Harvey Crop currently available at Fameshed until the end of the event on May 27th and at Noche’s main store after that date
- Thirst Summer Vibes Jogger Shorts (walkman included)
- Lelutka Alain mesh head
- Belleza Jake mesh body
- Stray Dog Hikaru skin for Lelutka Evo (not Evox!) + their body skin for Belleza Jake
- Avi Glam Erudite eyes, applied to mesh eyes that come with the mesh head
- Dura U105 hair
- Billy Beaverhausen Grant shape
If you’re enjoying this blog and feel a sudden urge to show your support, you can always…
You’ll find some free shapes and extra images on that page, yours for the taking even if you don’t buy me a coffee. Another way to support me is to become a patron, which gives you access to a growing collection of “saucy” pictures on my Patreon page. Of course likes on the blog and faves on Flickr are always greatly appreciated to.
Billy Beaverhausen 
Leave a comment