Theiss Titillation Theory: Difference between revisions

This basic theory underwrites [[Stripperiffic]] clothing, [[Impossibly Cool Clothes]], and pretty much anything else you stick female characters into: what makes clothing sexy is the hope of a catastrophic [[Wardrobe Malfunction]]. The [[Trope Namer]] is William Ware Theiss, costume designer on ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'', who first codified the concept.

 

 

 

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 "[[Clothing Damage|improved]]" by Gene Roddenberry. 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 skin-tone fabric.

Theiss was further able (forced?) to add to the effect by the censorship rules of the time in terms of what parts of the body could or could not be shown (the navel being the most well-known restriction of the era). He found he could get a surprisingly erotic effect from the carefully arranged display of areas of skin not generally considered erogenous.

 

 

Not to be confused with the [[The Eye of Argon|Theis]] Titillation Theory.

 

{{examples}}

** And yet [http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Rindou Rindou], her bazooka-wielding underling probably has her beat as far as this trope is concerned. Seriously, is her short jacket duct-taped to her nipples or something?

* Gaap in ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro ni]]'' wears a dress that appears to have a pretty good-sized strip chopped out of it all the way down and very barely stitched back together with laces. It's been described as "a wardrobe malfunction waiting to happen."

* ''[[Getsumen to Heiki Mina]]'' has Ootsuki Miina has an [[Impossibly Low Neckline]] that her transformation has got to include double sided tape to keep those puppies from popping out.

 

* Several female superheroes fall under this. Notable examples include [http://www.dccomics.com/media/_dcu/heroes_and_villains/origin_stories/starfire/1.jpg Starfire] whose outfit is part lingerie, part bondage gear and [http://media.photobucket.com/image/Power%20Girl/fairygrl_2006/powergirl.jpg Power Girl] and her infamous boob window.

* Dear God, Emma Frost. As a member of the Hellfire Club, her outfit, while skimpy, was believable. [[Dominatrix| (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 [[Heel Face Turn]] her outfits got more daring and more improbable in design. One good example was when she first joined the X-Men: her outfit combined [[Absolute Cleavage]] and [[Impossibly Low Neckline]], 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 [[Attention Whore| the type of person she is]], quitting the Club actually gave her a chance to be more daring.

* Exactly how [[Vampirella]] keeps her costume from falling off is a mystery. ''Wizard'' magazine claimed that for [[Real Life]] models who dress as the character at conventions, they use aerosol spray glue.

 

* [[Hammer Horror]] movies in particular lived with this trope. Women in form-fitting see-through nightwear that could slip off their smooth shoulders at any moment.

* Subverted in the live-action ''[[Vampirella]]'' movie. Unsurprisingly, a realistic version of the iconic costume tended to fall off a lot, and they had to switch to a more practical design. The original can still be seen in some promotional material.

 

* Vetinari mentions this in Terry Pratchett's ''[[Discworld/Jingo|Jingo]]''. "Curiously, the purpose of the nautch girl or exotic dancer has always been less to reveal and more to suggest the ''imminence'' of revelation."

* All over the place in [[Piers Anthony]] works—Anthony is fond of having some characters go completely clothed, others go completely nude, and a third group go partially clothed. The first two groups are seen as more-or-less nonsexual, but the third is a major turn on.

 

** According to Herb Solow and Robert Justman's book on ''Star Trek,'' William Shatner couldn't stop hitting on Sherry Jackson, the actress playing Andrea, once he saw her in the outfit. Further, the first public modeled display of the costume was in Desilu Studios' lunch room, where Ms. Jackson entered in said outfit—according to Herb, forks stopped midway to people's mouths.

** Similarly, the [http://bp2.blogger.com/_tBl_3BU6-1c/RZrYC6QnGFI/AAAAAAAAAME/n-3uZ-gdEiM/s1600-h/Carolyn+Palamas+3.jpg top part] of the Greco-Roman-style outfit worn by Leslie Parrish (playing Lieutenant Carolyn Palamas) in "Who Mourns For Adonais?" consisted of a single swath of cloth draped across her breasts and slung over her shoulder. Most people who were there believed that nothing held it in place except its own weight, and were absolutely certain it was going to fall off at any second. Parrish, on the other hand, knew that it was stuck to her skin via massive amounts of two-way tape which had torn off chunks of skin during the original fitting; this is why she instead wore a bathrobe during all rehearsals, even the dress rehearsal.

** That's because she's a [[Incredibly Lame Pun|master (mistress?) of suspense]].

 

* [[Lady Gaga]] 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 [[Star Trek]] [[Trope Codifier]].

* [[Kylie Minogue]]'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://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/31692-popup.html here]. Apparently there was a lot of double-sided tape involved.

 

* In the 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 noteable exception being 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...

 

* The entirety of the female cast of ''[[Soul Calibur]]''—with the ''possible'' exception of [[Lady of War|Hilde]]—are participants in this trope, thanks to the implementation of female-focused clothing damage in ''Soul Calibur IV''. In addition to, you know, the huge quantities of cleavage and the rather [[Fetish Fuel|unusual designs]] that were carried on from earlier games.

* Yoshino "Haru" Harusawa of ''[[Devil Survivor|Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor]]'' wears an outfit that would do Theiss proud. Looking at her sprites, it's a wonder she isn't having a wardrobe malfunction every few seconds. Needless to say she's a popular character.

* Mai in ''[[Fatal Fury]]''/''[[King of Fighters]]''. Her outfit looks ''designed'' to fall off.

 

* This is parodied in an episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'', 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!".

 

* This is the idea behind the "fan dance" and "bubble dance" invented by the famous burlesque dancer, [[wikipedia: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.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Partial Nudity Tropes]]

[[Category:Always Female]]

[[Category:Audience Reactions]]

[[Category:Costume Tropes]]

[[Category:The Utterly and Completely Definitive Guide to Cool]]

[[Category:Alliterative Trope Titles]]