Discussion Main / TankTopTomboy

The Trope Talk thread on the forum is where you want to ask this sort of question.

As it says in the trope description, Tank-Tops became associated with tough guys and action heroes in the 70s and 80s. Women, especially in media, also began wearing them to be seen as tougher or more tomboyish.

But tank tops are girly and feminine, though. Literally no guy wears them unless they're some Chad douchebro who likes to show off their muscles.

Girls who wear tank tops tend to be more the kind who hang out in groups and talk about "girly" stuff and shame other girls for not conforming to their "girly" standards. Meanwhile, tomboys just prefer to dress comfy, because they don't like conforming to society's standards of femininity, as they see it as too restrictive.

I don't know what you're talking about. Guys wear tank tops all the time.

But it's still primarily a feminine trait to wear sleeveless garments. Just look at synphony orchestras, for example - male performers usually wear a suit with long sleeves, while the women wear sleeveless dresses.

Also, I love how you're citing action heroes, even though that's a very niche type of movie. What about comedy protagonists, like Homer and Bart Simpson? They just wear simple T-shirts, while Marge and Lisa - again - wear sleeveless dresses. It's almost as if sleeveless clothing is more common for women.

So wouldn't it make more sense for a tomboy character to not wear a sleeveless top, then? Just look at Punky Brewster, for example - she's pretty much the living definition of casually overdressed.