Somewhere along the way, ribbed white tank tops took on the name "wifebeaters."

Liveawear's fund-raising T-shirt

Unhappy about the message conveyed by the slang term, Liveawear has initiated a counter-campaign. The nonprofit, anti-domestic violence group has joined forces with the fashion retailer Intermix and hip T-shirt maker Splendid to launch the "not a wifebeater" campaign, complete with a "not a wifebeater" tank top.

"Wifebeaters are people who physically and/or emotionally abuse their partners -- [wifebeaters aren't] tank tops," the three groups declared in a joint statement.

Liveawear uses net proceeds from the sale of the soft, cotton-blend tops to increase public awareness of partner violence and to break the silence and erase the stigma that surrounds the issue. The shirt comes in two sizes for men and five for women. It's $40 at more than 100 boutiques and Intermix stores across the nation and at liveawear.org. Locally, it's available at Pittsburgh Jeans Co. on the South Side.

The campaign is also educational. The tops' hangtags offer the number for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. (By the way, it's 1-800-799-7233.) Store displays include postcards to share information and encourage activism against relationship abuse.

"Wifebeater" as fashion lingo grew out of the slovenly appearance of belching brutes who physically abuse women. The term conjures images of Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski in the 1951 movie "A Streetcar Named Desire," as well as abusive men being hustled into squad cars on "Cops" and other TV programs.

The term has become widespread over the last decade as Gen-Xers have adopted and adapted it as everyday jargon. In 2002, publishers of a revised edition of the Oxford English Dictionary considered adding the fashion definition to the usual "wife beater" entry. The National Organization for Women immediately lambasted the idea, contending that it desensitizes people to violence against women.

The U.S. Department of Justice reports that a woman is beaten every nine seconds by her partner. Three women are killed by their partners each day. Domestic violence is the leading cause of death for African-American women ages 15-45.

A New York City couple, Paula Rogowsky and Doug Cohen, founded Liveawear last year. Ms. Rogowsky, an attorney for three years in the civil enforcement unit of the New York City police department, oversees Safe Horizon's Criminal Court and Domestic Violence Police Programs. Safe Horizon is the nation's leading victim-assistance organization.

Thousands of the tank tops have been sold, and feedback from the public has been "amazing," Ms. Rogowsky said. "People love the idea that it's a way to make a hip, socially conscious statement."

"We're trying to raise awareness about domestic violence in a manner that's hip and trendy," added Mr. Cohen, who owns and manages a health-care consulting company. "We're trying to reach people in their 20s and 30s to make them their own personal activists."

The transitory nature of fashion and language may provide something of a solution. A growing trend is abbreviation of wifebeater to "beater."

Nancy Crossen of Munhall said that's the term used by her 17-year-old daughter, Jill. Both Jill and 15-year-old brother Dylan think there may be oversensitivity about a term they feel is "no longer ... identified with anything negative," Mrs. Crossen said.

Jill calls them "beaters," she said.

To Ms. Rogowsky, that term is just as offensive.

"I think it's equally violent," she said. "Violence is violence. It doesn't matter who it's directed to, whether it's a partner or a hate crime. The goal is to eliminate violence."