History Main / TheissTitillationTheory

* ''Literature/ThisAlienShore'': Invoked by Jamisia when she blends in with a crowd of rich tourists by wearing a crotch-length shirt with a [[{{Underboobs}} very short top]].

* ComicBook/{{Starfire}}'s outfit is part lingerie, part bondage gear.
* ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} has fallen victim to ridiculously skimpy suits from time to time. [[https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/File:Adventure_Comics_Vol_1_409.jpg Her one-time suit]] in ''ComicBook/AdventureComics #409'' was completely backless and displayed her {{Sideboob}} prominently. In ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton2004'', ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} got her brainwashed and dumped into a cape, skintight trousers and an impossible bra. At the beginning of her [[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 Post-Crisis book]], her midriff shirt was so tiny it almost displayed her underboobs. Finally, her alternate universe counterpart ComicBook/PowerGirl is infamous by her [[CleavageWindow boob window]].
* Cixi from ''ComicBook/{{Lanfeust}}''. At one point she shows up in what is essentially a bikini, cut into strips, and those strips arranged in spirals for maximum effect.

* A lot of jokes were made ''in-story'' about how ComicBook/LadyRawhide managed to keep her breasts from falling out of her costume, and eventually, [[WardrobeMalfunction it actually happened]] in one story.
* ''Franchise/XMen'':

* ''ComicBook/CloakAndDagger'': Dagger has an... [[http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb58378/marveldatabase/images/a/a4/Dagger_Statue_by_diablo.jpg implausible]] costume. It's gotten worse over the years, as the character has gotten better-endowed and the costume has gotten skimpier, but even in [[http://www.comics.org/issue/37944/cover/4/ earlier days]] the only reasonable explanation is that the thing is glued on.
* Exactly how ComicBook/{{Vampirella}} keeps ''her'' costume from falling off is a mystery. (''Wizard Magazine'' claimed that for RealLife models who dress as the character at conventions, they use aerosol spray glue.) Some Harris (or was it already Dynamite?) story boldly declared the costume is a symbiont like the Venom thingie. Don't think too much about that.
* [[http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_super/11124/111243883/4854226-hot.jpg Martian females]] in ''ComicBook/WarlordOfMars'' are [[DiamondsInTheBuff dressed in nothing more than jewelry and gold ornaments]] and surprisingly never get fully exposed on page.
* Creator/MikeGrell's work for the ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' in the mid-'70s gave nearly all the girls the MostCommonSuperpower, which didn't go at all well with most of their outfits, especially Princess Projectra. Those two laces holding it together were going to snap the minute she did anything strenuous. Either right before or during Grell's run, it was explained that most of the Legionnaires were, in fact, well into their twenties or even older in order to avoid unfortunate implications.
* Discussed in ''ComicBook/SinCity'' sub-story "Hell and Back"--Wallace draws erotic pictures for a lowbrow publication and pisses off its much more worldly boss when he turns in a nude whose nakedness is implied entirely via a sheet that covers her from head to toe. He is promptly ordered to redraw the picture without the sheet.

* ComicBook/CarolDanvers' ComicBook/MsMarvel first costume was very skimpy before she got her iconic black leotard.

** ComicBook/EmmaFrost. As a member of the Hellfire Club, her outfit, while skimpy, was believable. ([[DressedLikeADominatrix It was white lingerie resembling the kind that anyone could buy at Victoria's Secrets, combined with knee-high boots and a cape.]]) However, after her HeelFaceTurn, her outfits got more daring and more improbable in design. One good example was when she first joined the ComicBook/XMen: her outfit combined NavelDeepNeckline and ImpossiblyLowNeckline, using a few strategically placed scraps of fabric to form a reverse "X" with her exposed skin. (Of course, the lingerie was a dress code for the Hellfire Club, but being the [[AttentionWhore type of person she is]], quitting the Club actually gave her a chance to be ''more'' daring.)
** Madelyne Pryor in the crossover ''ComicBook/Inferno1988'', as well as some later appearances. Her ragged outfit included a loincloth and one of the most famous cases of {{Underboobs}} in comics history. Especially given how often Madelyne raised her arms, it is widely assumed that only telekinesis was keeping her inside that costume!

* ''VideoGame/Skullgirls'': [[ImpossiblyLowNeckline Cerebella]] [[{{Underboob}} Ms. Fortune]], [[NaughtyNurseOutfit Valentine]], [[[{{Sideboob}} Eliza]], and Black Dahlia all wear outfits so slinky that it's a wonder they don't straight up fall off during combat. Eliza at least has the excuse that [[spoiler:her dress is actually created by her haemokinetic powers; she literally ''is'' holding it on with sheer willpower]], but the others somehow contrive to jump, tumble, and beat the crap out of each other without once showing more than usual. [[FanDisservice Well, in the context fans would like]].

* John Singer Sargent's ''Art/PortraitOfMadameX'' caused a minor scandal in its day. No doubt part of the fascination is that one strap of the lady's dress looks ''just'' bit loose (it was actually off her shoulder in earlier versions). In reality, the straps were only decorative: the bodice of the dress was rigid and wouldn't have fallen under any circumstances.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* This is the idea behind the "fan dance" and "bubble dance" invented by the famous burlesque dancer, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Rand Sally Rand.]]
* Gypsy Rose Lee's burlesque routines famously didn't reveal much skin; her signature move was sliding her shoulder strap off her shoulder.
** According to legend, Gypsy once got a male audience all hot and bothered simply by slowly unbuttoning the long sleeves of her perfectly modest dress while speaking.
* ''Soooo'' many red-carpet dresses, it's not even funny. Whether it be see-through or the slow edging of a nip slip, you know that the more TTT a dress is, the more likely that's what's gonna be leading on TMZ that night.
** A particularly well-known example is Music/JenniferLopez' [[http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmwscsJy7B1qcg9muo1_500.jpg green dress,]] parodied in the Simpsons' example above.
* In Brazil, this trope is invoked for strapless dresses/bikinis, being usually called "Tomara-que-caia" ("I-hope-it-falls-off").
* Creator/ParisHilton is well known for wearing [[http://lh5.ggpht.com/-COn7x_WyAxw/RzXetS4O7pI/AAAAAAAAAKg/ychZXjdWjIU/parishilton_26%25255B1%25255D.jpg outfits]] like [[http://www.mycitybynight.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Paris-Hilton-11-435x650.jpg this]] for the cameras.
* Preventing this (or invoking it), especially in {{Cosplay}} situations, is the reason why Spirit Gum and similar products ''exist''.
* The high-kicking can-can was considered obscene because of its debut at a time when underwear was designed with open crotches. The hem and ruffles usually obscured a clear view, but even when not deliberately manipulated by the dancer, the fabric could part enough for a brief flash of exposure.
* This trope is why some people consider bikinis for prepubescent girls obscene: There ''is'' nothing to hide, but the bikini top ''implies'' that there is something titillating under it.
* Romans didn't wear togas as much as we imagine them doing; most famously they were donned by political candidates, since [[LightIsGood the pure white of the garment was supposed to communicate their honesty]]. The reason? There was ''nothing'' holding them up except for strategic body posturing. If you pivoted just the wrong way, down it would come and nude you would be.[[note]]Not quite nude, they did wear underwear. But it was roughly equivalent to a modern speedo in terms of modesty.[[/note]]
** At least in later times [[http://www.roman-empire.net/society/soc-dress.html togas were worn over a tunic,]] and the more conservative and traditionalist Romans who preferred the old-fashioned way were considered to be somewhat eccentric.
** Ancient Greek hoplites' armor also worked on this principle. Often, Greek soldiers advanced into battle wearing a helmet, greaves, and no other armor whatsoever, relying on their huge ''hoplon'' shields to cover them from neck to knees. The popular image of them [[FullFrontalAssault fighting in the nude]] is exaggerated, though; they generally wore tunics, and some also wore a kind of cloth breastplate called a ''linothorax'' to protect the chest a bit.
[[/folder]]

* Ancient Greek tunics and dresses were open at one side. While there was enough fabric that nothing was actually going to show, the suggestion of it was always there (particularly on a windy winter day). Presumably, this was just how they liked it. The men's tunics invoked this trope much more strongly than the women's dresses because the tunics were cut no longer than absolutely necessary. Again, they did wear underwear so there was no danger of actual nudity: but if the wife had done her job correctly, there would be a strong suggestion of it. Greek painting and statuary also made heavy use of this trope: particularly in depictions of heroes, gods, and goddesses. Paintings and statues of course [[{{Vaporwear}} never wear underwear]], and often wear only a strategically placed cloak. The most common style is to have a male wearing a cloth draped on the hips held in the left hand. Since the statue is immobile, the simulated cloth can't actually fall. But, we all know that if a guy did this in RealLife it would stay up for about five seconds. It's never used on female statues since there is no suggestion that the cloth would fall because women have wider hips. The female equivalent is to have the dress hanging by one shoulder pin.

* Ancient Greek tunics and dresses were open at one side. While there was enough fabric that nothing was actually going to show, the suggestion of it was always there (particularly on a windy winter day). Presumably, this was just how they liked it. The men's tunics invoked this trope much more strongly than the women's dresses because the tunics were cut no longer than absolutely necessary. Again, they did wear underwear so there was no danger of actual nudity: but if the wife had done her job correctly, there would be a strong suggestion of it. Greek painting and statuary also made heavy use of this trope: particularly in depictions of heroes, gods, and goddesses. Paintings and statues of course [[{{Vaporwear}} never wear underwear]], and often wear only a strategically placed cloak. The most common style is to have a male wearing a cloth draped on the hips held in the left hand. Since the statue is immobile, the simulated cloth can't actually fall. But, we all know that if a guy did this in RealLife it would stay up for about five seconds. It's never used on female statues since there is no suggestion that the cloth would fall because women have wider hips. The female equivalent is to have the dress hanging by one shoulder pin.

This basic theory underwrites {{Stripperiffic}} clothing, ImpossiblyCoolClothes, and pretty much anything else you stick characters (usually female, but this can apply to men's clothing as well) into: what makes clothing sexy is the potential for a catastrophic WardrobeMalfunction. The {{Trope Namer|s}} is William Ware Theiss, costume designer on ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', who first codified the concept.

* Within Alan Dean Foster's ''Sentenced to Prism'', one young lady acting as a walking billboard sports clothing that flashes advertisements on it and occasionally turns transparent on parts of her body. The protagonists muse that the really titillating spots are never going to turn transparent, but people will keep staring at the ads just in case...

* Melanie from ''Series/HotinCleveland'' in a trash bag-dress when she causes it to ride up in "Duct Soup".

* ''Anime/CowboyBebop'''s Faye Valentine. Particularly in the movie, which has a scene with strong rape overtones, wherein the one button that appears to be her top's only fixture is sliced away by the BigBad. Given her figure, this should have resulted in her clothing flying open rather spectacularly. Since it didn't, we must conclude that her breasts are coated with an adhesive; it's the only way that scene makes any sartorial sense. Of course, since it's implied Faye dresses like that to distract people, she may need a certain amount of help keeping it on.

* Kuroka from ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDXD'' has the classic kimono example, not only is [[ImpossiblyLowNeckline nothing keeping it up]], but it should [[MagicSkirt fly open pretty much any time she moves]]. Maybe magic demon powers are keeping it in place.

* Literature/TheTalmud (Sotah 8b) notes an aphorism "Undressed, naked and wearing shoes," the idea being that wearing shoes would emphasize that someone is otherwise naked.

* ''VideoGame/AzurLane'' features plenty of this for its [[AnthropomorphicPersonification Ship Girls]] in either their default or paid alternate skins, where if swimsuits weren't enough, there are plenty of kimonos and dresses that look like they're about to fall off. One notable example being St. Louis in her [[https://azurlane.koumakan.jp/St._Louis/Gallery#Luxurious_Wheels Luxurious Wheels]] skin that features her in a flimsy dress that always looks like it's about to fall off, held only in place by two flimsy strings that are hard to notice due to her borderline GagBoobs.

** The game's leading lady, one [[RebelliousPrincess HRH]] Kaguya Nanbu, has [[GagBoobs huge tracts of land]] stuffed into a microdress held on by the cruelty of the Universe. She has an extremely [[DanceBattler acrobatic fighting style]], which results in, uh, chestquakes, in keeping with the metaphor, but never a wardrobe malfunction. Whoever [[MagicSkirt enchanted]] that thing deserves either a medal or to be hanged, depending on your perspective.

The allure of this trope is all in the tease -- precarious as these outfits seem, they will never, ''ever'' fail to keep everything covered. (at least from the perspective of the viewer; other ''characters'' might be getting quite the eyeful). The TTT also takes advantage of an odd side effect: a particularly sexy outfit actually ''[[FullyClothedNudity out-titillates]]'' frank nudity. Evidently, [[WantingIsBetterThanHaving a woman who is not quite naked is more interesting than a woman who already is]].

* John Singer Sargent's ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Madame_X Portrait of Madame X]]'' caused a minor scandal in its day. No doubt part of the fascination is that one strap of the lady's dress looks ''just'' bit loose (it was actually off her shoulder in earlier versions). In reality, the straps were only decorative: the bodice of the dress was rigid and wouldn't have fallen under any circumstances.