Wardrobe malfunction

A wardrobe malfunction is a clothing failure that accidentally or intentionally exposes a person's intimate parts. It is different from deliberate incidents of indecent exposure or public flashing. Justin Timberlake first used the term when apologizing for the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime-show controversy during the 2004 Grammy Awards. The phrase "wardrobe malfunction" was in turn used by the media to refer to the incident and entered pop culture. There was a long history of such incidents before the term was coined and it has since become common.
Etymology.
The American Dialect Society defines "wardrobe malfunction" as "an unanticipated exposure of bodily parts". Global Language Monitor, which tracks usage of words on the internet and in newspapers worldwide, identified the term as the top Hollywood contribution to English (HollyWordie) in 2004, surpassing words like "girlie men", "Yo!" and "frass". The term was also one of the new entrants into the "Chambers Dictionary" in 2008, along with words like "electrosmog", "carbon footprint", "credit crunch" and "social networking". The dictionary defines it as "the temporary failure of an item of clothing to do its job in covering a part of the body that it would be advisable to keep covered."
Origins.
The term was first used on February 1, 2004 by singers Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson in a statement attempting to explain the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy, during which Jackson's right breast was exposed. Timberlake apologized for the incident, stating he was "sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl..." The term "wardrobe malfunction" appeared in numerous stories in major US consumer and business publications, newspapers, and major TV and radio broadcasts. Journalist Eric Alterman described the incident as "the most famous 'wardrobe malfunction' since Lady Godiva."
Related terms.
The American Dialect Society had a number of related terms for word of the year nominations in 2004, including "Janet moment" ("unplanned bodily exposure at a public function"), "boobgate" ("scandal over Janet Jackson's exposed breast"), "nipplegate" (like boobgate, "but used earlier in squawk over Jackson's possible nipple ring"), and "wardrobe malfunction" ("overexposure in a mammary way"). The term has been translated into other languages to describe similar incidents, including "garderobedefect" (Dutch), "incident de garde-robe" (French), "disfunzione del guardaroba" or "incidente del guardaroba" (Italian), and "mal funcionamiento de vestuario" (Spanish).
Social phenomenon.
In the book "DJing for Dummies", John Steventon describes a range of wardrobe malfunctions, from a revelation of buttock cleavage to visible panty lines.
Bikinis also present celebrity wardrobe malfunction opportunities to the paparazzi in the form of wedgies or bikini-top malfunctions. In "Wedding Planning and Management: Consultancy for Diverse Clients", Maggie Daniels warns, "With so many people involved in the wedding party, a wardrobe malfunction is guaranteed to happen." In "Cheer!: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders", Kate Torgovnick warns of wardrobe malfunctions while cheerleading.