‘Offensive’ phrase still used for tank tops on Amazon, even though it violates Canada’s advertising code
Several ads for men’s tank tops remain on Amazon’s Canadian website, despite an Ad Standards Council ruling that the phrase used to describe them — “wife beater” — is offensive, trivializes domestic violence and violates Canada’s advertising code.
The slang term refers to a certain style of tight-fitting tank tops introduced in the 1930s as a men’s undershirt. The shirt entered into popular culture in 1951, when Marlon Brando wore one while playing the hard-edged, violent Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire.
