Wedgie

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This article is about the wardrobe malfunction. For the polyhedron defined by two triangles and three trapezoid faces, see Wedge (geometry).
A male receiving a wedgie

A wedgie occurs when a person's nether underwear or other garments are wedged between the buttocks. While a wedgie can be created naturally, the term is usually associated with a prank or as a form of bullying. When a person is on the receiving end of a wedgie, his or her underwear is forcibly pulled up by a second person.

Wedgies are commonly featured in popular works, either as a form of low comedy or as a behaviour representative of bullying. In such works, briefs are usually the type of underpants that are worn by the victim.[1][2]

Dangers

Wedgies, especially when performed on males, can be dangerous, potentially causing testicular or scrotal damage. An incident in 2004 involving a ten-year-old boy required reattachment of a testicle to the scrotum.[3]

On the 9th of January 2014 multiple news sources reported the first confirmed death by atomic wedgie. Brad Lee-Davis, a 33 year old Oklahoma native, is alleged to have drunkenly fought with his stepfather 58 year old Denver Lee-St. Clair. During the altercation Lee-Davis grabbed Lee-St. Clair's elastic wasitband and underwear, pulled it over his head, and suffocated him with the waistband. [4] Oklahoma Medical Examiner spokeswoman Amy Elliott said the cause of death was asphyxiation and blunt force trauma.[5]

Variations

A female receiving a regular wedgie

As a prank or form of bullying, there are a number of variants to the normal wedgie. It is impractical to list every variant, as the names and processes can be rather subjective; however, there are a few better-known variants of the wedgie.

  • The Melvin is a variant where the victim's underwear is pulled up from the front, to cause injury, or, at least, severe pain to the victim's genitals.[6] The female variant is sometimes called a Minerva.
  • The Atomic Wedgie entails hoisting the waistband of the receiver's underwear up and over their head. [6][7] This form is the title character's signature prank from The Mask: The Animated Series.
  • The Hanging Wedgie is a variant in which the victim is hung from his or her underwear, elevated above the ground.[8]

Events

  • On April 6, 2006, Fox News reported on an Albany, New York teacher who was arrested for endangering the welfare of a child by giving the 10-year-old student a wedgie.[9][10]
  • In 2007, eight-year-old second graders Jared and Justin Serovich came up with "wedgie-proof" underwear at the Central Ohio Invention Competition 2007 where their invention got them into the finals.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wedgie. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Retrieved 30 November 2007 via Dictionary.com.
  2. ↑ No More Bullies, School Counselor Resources.
  3. ↑ "Emergency operation after school prank - Local stories". Yorkshire Post. 2004-12-02. Retrieved 2012-08-01. 
  4. ↑ Smith, Alexander (9 January 2014). "Okla. man accused of killing stepfather with 'atomic wedgie'". NBC News. Retrieved 9 January 2014. 
  5. ↑ BRANDES, HEIDE (9 January 2014). "Oklahoma man charged with 'atomic wedgie' murder of stepfather". REUTERS. Retrieved 9 January 2014. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Curran, David (2007-01-04). "Gwyneth And 'The Atomic Wedgie'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-07-07. 
  7. ↑ Krysis, B. M. (2004). The Angry Plumber and Other Woefully True Bathroom Calamities. Trafford Publishing. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-4120-2359-7. Retrieved 2009-07-06. 
  8. ↑ Stuever, Hank (2002-09-02). "At School, a Most Uncomfortable Subject". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-07-07. 
  9. ↑ Hume, Brit (2006-04-06). "Charges for Giving a Wedgie". Fox News Channel. 
  10. ↑ Greg Tananbaum and Dan Martin (2005). Atomic Wedgies, Wet Willies, and Other Acts of Roguery. Santa Monica Press. ISBN 978-1-59580-000-8. 
  11. ↑ "Twins, 8, invent 'wedgie-proof' underpants". MSNBC. 2007-11-02. 
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