History Main / TheissTitillationTheory

* In Creator/{{Filmation}}'s ''[[WesternAnimation/FlashGordon Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All]]'', Flash, Dale and Zarkov are captured by Beastmen soon upon crash landing on Mongo and dragged to their mountain settlement. Along the way, their clothing disintegrates with [[https://youtu.be/O9Z9k0wAZtQ?t=5 Dale's dress so shredded with one shoulder is completely bare to the point where the whole blouse is just about to fall open completely]]. The look is so alluringly that when the film was reedited into the SaturdayMorningCartoon TV series instead, the gang had to be redrawn into their usual costumes to avoid imagery the NBC network could never allow in that timeslot.

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13430275/21/Level-Up Level Up!]]'', Izuku's Gamer style Quirk gives both Momo and Itsuka "sexy kimono" skins which are described as always looking one deep breath or wrong movement from falling off entirely.

* In the Literature/Lensman series, several of the outfits that the society women wear are described in terms that bring this to mind. Apparently, scientific advances allow for more daring clothing.

* Boar sin Merlin in ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'' wears a jacket that is held in place across her chest by seemingly nothing. In the first fanbook it is referenced that she does indeed keep her clothing in place with magic.

* Boar sin Merlin in ‘’Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins’’ wears a jacket that is held in place across her chest by seemingly nothing. In the first fanbook it is referenced that she does indeed keep her clothing in place with magic.

* Boar sin Merlin in ‘’Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins’’ wears a jacket that is held in place across her chest by seemingly nothing. Perhaps magic.

* Boar sin Merlin in ‘’Manga/SevenDeadlySins’’ wears a jacket that is held in place across her chest by seemingly nothing. Perhaps magic.

* ''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.

* Non-fiction example: in the documentary series ''Harlots, Housewives, and Heroines'' about women in the 17th century, Dr. Creator/LucyWorsley tries on the style of gown worn by the ladies at Charles II's court.

* ''VideoGame/EndlessFrontier,'' ** 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, [[{{Gainaxing}} earthquakes,]] 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 leading lady of ''VideoGame/EndlessFrontier,'' 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, [[{{Gainaxing}} earthquakes,]] 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.

** There's also Isane in the BeachEpisode.

** A particularly well-known example is Creator/JenniferLopez' [[http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmwscsJy7B1qcg9muo1_500.jpg green dress]], parodied in the Simpsons' example above.

* The leading lady of ''VideoGame/EndlessFrontier,'' 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 acrobatic fighting style, which results in, uh, [[{{Gainaxing}} earthquakes,]] 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.
** Her successor in the [[NoExportForYou never-released-overseas]] sequel, Neige, is just as, eh, perky and wears a maid costume with a similarly too-small blouse, and similarly imbued with cosmic malice by a bashful sorceror. She has a SuperMovePortraitAttack wherein the camera does a closeup full-body pan, with her skirt *just* managing to hide what kind of underwear she has on, if any.

* The leading lady of ''VideoGame/EndlessFrontier,'' one 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 acrobatic fighting style, which results in, uh, [[{{Gainaxing}} earthquakes,]] 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.
** Her successor in the [[NoExportForYou never-released-overseas]] sequel, Neige, is just as, eh, perky and wears a maid costume with a similarly too-small blouse, and similarly imbued with cosmic malice. She has a SuperMovePortraitAttack wherein the camera does a closeup full-body pan, with her skirt *just* managing to hide what kind of underwear she has on, if any.

* Kuroka from ''Anime/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.[[/folder]]

* Several female superheroes fall under this. Notable examples include ComicBook/{{Starfire}} (whose outfit is part lingerie, part bondage gear) and ComicBook/PowerGirl and her infamous [[CleavageWindow boob window]].
* ComicBook/MsMarvel's first costume was very skimpy before she got her iconic black leotard.

* Dear God, 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 AbsoluteCleavage 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/{{Inferno}}'', 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!

* [[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.

* Much like Madelyne Pryor's example, the outfits worn by Jena and Madelyne Pyre in ''ComicBook/XMenPhoenixLegacyOfFire'' are very tiny and not held by any sort of string. They must be using MindOverMatter to keep it in place.
* [[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.
* Mike Grell'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. Hey, Mike, these were supposed to be young ''teenage'' girls, you ''knew'' that, didn't you?
** 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.
* DiscussedTrope 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.

* Likewise {{Discussed}} in ''[[EightWorlds Steel Beach]]'' as part of a larger exposition on why OurNudityIsDifferent in Lunar society. In a closed environment with no nudity taboo, actual nudity is considered a sign of either stodginess or poverty, neither of which are particularly attractive.

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* In the [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]] 3.5 edition Player's Handbook, all of the female examples shown in the races chapter have clothing that looks almost exactly like the example pictured at the top of the page. Not to mention the Nymph in the Monster Manual, the Elemental Savant in Complete Arcane, for that matter just about any female character pictured in any D&D book. A notable exception is the iconic 3.5 rogue, the halfling Lidda, who's typically fully clothed from her neck to her toes. On the other hand, that type of clothing tends to be skintight, so...

* The reboot of ''MortalKombat.'' Most female fighters' outfits start off this way and get only worse as battle damage sets in (to the point where the only thing that could possibly be keeping some of them on is glue or magic, and the only thing keeping them from flashing is BarbieDollAnatomy.)

* In ''Theatre/HolyMusicalBatman'', Robin is a rare male example of this trope. All he's got on is a shirt, cape, mask, shoes, and ''briefs'' the whole musical. It gets worse after a scene where we see Superman and Batman rip off each other's UnderwearOfPower.

This trope is particularly common in ScienceFiction and related genres, where exotic or futuristic landscapes (plus the WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief) make it seem plausible that these outfits could be everyday wear. However in ''Series/WillAndGrace'', Debra Messing occasionally wore outfits that would not be anatomically feasible for a better-endowed woman.

Though Theiss was a costume designer, according to ''Inside Star Trek: The Real Story,'' by Herb Solow and Robert Justman, most of the costumes following this theory were actually somewhat more modest before being "[[ClothingDamage improved]]" by Creator/GeneRoddenberry. According to the "Art of Star Trek" book, Theiss preferred to design costumes that only ''appeared'' to be in danger of slipping or coming off, through the use of strategically-placed sheer or skintone fabric. He was further able to enhance the effect by the censorship rules of the time regarding what parts of the body could or could not be shown (the navel being the most well-known restriction). He found he could get surprising amounts of appeal from the carefully-arranged display of skin not generally considered erogenous.

* In ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'', [[IdolSinger Sheryl]]'s stage outfits fit the trope enough. However, this is only an illusion, as most of the time she's actually wearing a holographic body suit.

** An even more blatant example would be Yamanaka Ino's outfit as of ''Anime/TheLastNarutoTheMovie''. Her shirt and skirt almost fully exposes her hips and abdomen, is barely above her groin and looks like it could slip off at anytime, yet somehow stays on.

* ''Anime/CowboyBebop'''s Faye Valentine. Particularly in the movie, which has a scene with strong rape-y 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.

* ''Anime/GetsumenToHeikiMina'' has Ootsuki Miina has an ImpossiblyLowNeckline that her transformation has got to include double sided tape to keep those puppies from popping out.

* Mike Grell'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. Hey, Mike, these were supposed to be young ''teenage'' girls, you ''knew'' that, didn't you?

* The giant, elaborate, torso-covering necklace and perilously secured sarong-like skirt that [[VainSorceress Lisle]] (Isabella Rosselini) wears in ''Film/DeathBecomesHer''.

* 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 muses that the really titillating spots are never going to turn transparent, but people will keep staring at the ads just in case...
* In the Literature/Lensman series, several of the outfits that the society women wear are described in terms that bring this to mind. Apparently scientific advances allow for more daring clothing.

** The page image is one of Theiss's best known creations. The android [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/45/ST_-_What_Are_Little_Girls_Made_Of.jpg Andrea]] from ''What Are Little Girls Made Of'' has a costume with an upper portion that's merely two crossed strips of material. Off the set, models wearing this costume ''never'' failed to get a dramatically appreciative reception from at least the men.

* Although the male Gladiators on ''Series/AmericanGladiators'' were generally more covered up that the women, Nitro's first season costume was spandex shorts and two strips of fabric across the chest, which had a tendency to slip down his shoulders.

* Music/LadyGaga usually wears skin-tight clothing, bypassing this trope; but in the video for "Poker Face", one of her outfits is a criss-crossing number obviously inspired by the Franchise/StarTrek TropeCodifier.
* Music/KylieMinogue's video for ''Can't Get You Out Of My Head'' features a stunning outfit that ''must'' be just about to fall off. A still image can be seen [[http://i3.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article794454.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/ here]]. Apparently there was a lot of double-sided tape involved.

* In the [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]] 3.5 edition Player's Handbook, all of the female examples shown in the races chapter have clothing that looks almost exactly like the example pictured at the top of the page. Not to mention the Nymph in the Monster Manual, the Elemental Savant in Complete Arcane, for that matter just about any female character pictured in any D&D book. A notable exception is the iconic 3.5 rogue, the halfling Lidda, who's typically fully clothed from her neck to her toes. On the other hand, that clothing tends to be skintight, so...

* ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive [[BeachEpisode Extreme Beach Volleyball]]'': Unrealistic clothing physics are the only thing that keep this from being an HGame.

* The reboot of ''MortalKombat.'' Most female fighters' outfits start off this way, and get only worse as battle damage sets in (to the point where the only thing that could possibly be keeping some of them on is glue or magic, and the only thing keeping them from flashing is BarbieDollAnatomy.)

* This is parodied in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', when it's Agnes Skinner who wears a skintight dress to Homer's award ceremony as "Man of the Hour". Homer's father, her co-host, asks, "What's holding that dress together?", to which Sideshow Mel stands and answers, "The collective will of everyone in this room!".

* ''Soooo'' many red-carpet dresses, it's not even funny. Whether it be see-through or the slow edging of a nipslip, you know that the more TTT a dress is, the more likely that's what's gonna be leading on TMZ that night.

* 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 mens' tunics invoked this trope much more strongly than the womens' 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.

* [[MsFanservice Krystal]] from ''Videogame/StarfoxAdventures'' is a NubileSavage who wears a skimpy tribal outfit that's basically [[WalkingSwimsuitScene just a bra]] and a [[DangerouslyShortSkirt hazardously short loincloth]]. In particular, the way the loincloth stays on (two button clips, one on each of her hips) makes it [[https://web.archive.org/web/20190419190727/https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mbcWxUuho-g/maxresdefault.jpg physically]] [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DhR5v-nWAAAecbC.jpg impossible]] for her to be wearing underwear. [[note]]''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' takes this trope to it's [[RealityEnsues logical]], [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar racy]] conclusion: the game averts MagicSkirt entirely, and has an expanded camera that allows players to take artistic pictures from virtually any angle. [[VideogamePerversityPotential Using the camera to peek under Krystal's loincloth]] reveals ''her uncensored vulva'' in [[https://i.imgur.com//OffoMLh.jpg subtle]], [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DuDzYdAVsAEHAK-.jpg but]] [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D1NEb5AXcAATaog.jpg explicit]] detail... soundly [[AvertedTrope averting]] BarbieDollAnatomy.[[/note]]

* DiscussedTrope in ''Comic/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.