Navel Navel The navel (clinically known as the umbilicus, colloquially known as the belly button, or tummy button) is a protruding, flat, or hollowed area on the abdomen at the attachment site of the umbilical cord. All placental mammals have a navel. The umbilicus is used to visually separate the abdomen into quadrants. The umbilicus is a prominent scar on the abdomen, with its position being relatively consistent among humans. The skin around the waist at the level of the umbilicus is supplied by the tenth thoracic spinal nerve (T10 dermatome). The umbilicus itself typically lies at a vertical level corresponding
Cultural views on the navel an advertisement in newspapers and magazines throughout America. It featured a bikini-clad blonde model exposing her bellybutton posing on a rock above the caption "What to show your wife in Scandinavia". The image that appeared in most publications had the belly button removed. The first exposure of a navel in a TV series occurred in 1961 on the "Dr. Kildare" series. Dawn Wells and Tina Louise were not allowed to expose their navels in "Gilligan's Island" (1964–67). Wells was required to wear high-waisted shorts that covered her navel. Wells stated in an interview, "Oh my goodness, I designed the shorts.