A wedgie occurs when a person's underwear or other garments are wedged between the buttocks

Buttocks

The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...

. While a wedgie can be created naturally, the term is usually associated with a prank

School prank

A school prank is any of several common pranks primarily occurring in an educational setting.The effect and intent of school pranks may range from everyday play and consensual bonding behavior to hazing, bullying or assault, including sexual assault....

 or as a form of bullying. When a person is on the receiving end of a wedgie, his or her underwear is forcibly pulled up by a second person.

Wedgies are commonly featured in popular works, either as a form of low comedy

Low comedy

Low comedy is a type of comedy characterized by "horseplay", slapstick or farce. Examples include somebody throwing a custard pie in another's face. This definition has also expanded to include lewd types of comedy that rely on physical jokes, for example, the wedgie.- History :This type of comedy...

 or as a behaviour representative of bullying. In such works, briefs

Briefs

Briefs are a type of short, tight underwear and swimwear, as opposed to styles where the material extends down the legs.In the case of men's underwear, briefs, unlike boxer shorts, hold the wearer's genitals in a relatively fixed position, which make briefs a popular underwear choice for men who...

 are usually the type of underpants that a wedgie is performed upon.

Dangers

Wedgies, especially when performed on males, can be dangerous, potentially causing testicular or scrotal damage. An incident in 2004 involving a ten-year-old boy required reattachment of a testicle to the scrotum.

Variations

As a prank or form of bullying, there are a number of variants to the normal wedgie. It is impractical to list every variant, as the names and processes can be rather subjective

Subjectivity

Subjectivity refers to the subject and his or her perspective, feelings, beliefs, and desires. In philosophy, the term is usually contrasted with objectivity.-Qualia:...

; however, there are a few better-known variants.

• The Melvin is a variant where the victim's underwear is pulled up from the front, to cause injury, or, at least, severe pain to the victim's genitals. The female variant is sometimes called a Minerva.
• The Atomic Wedgie entails hoisting the waistband of the receiver's underwear up and over their head.
• The Hanging Wedgie is a variant in which the victim is hung from his or her underwear, elevated above the ground.

Events

• On April 6, 2006, Fox News reported on an Albany
  Albany, New York
  Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
  
  , New York teacher who was arrested for endangering the welfare of a child for giving a 10-year-old student a wedgie.
• In 2007, eight-year-old second graders Jared and Justin Serovich came up with "wedgie-proof" underwear at the Central Ohio Invention Competition 2007 where their invention got them into the finals.