Kim Kardashian’s bid to end nipple shame has done the opposite

The nipple has been freed… or has it? (Picture: Getty/SKIMS)

Let’s start by stating the obvious: outrage at showing your nipples in public shouldn’t be a thing.

The Free The Nipple movement, started by filmmaker Lina Esco, advocates that women, like men, should also be allowed to bare their nipples if they wish – something that Instagram can’t really seem to get the hang of.

While #freethenipple began in in 2012, the female nip has been a battleground for decades. It was scandalous when Rita Hayworth showed a mere hint of a nip on the set of the 1942 film, You Were Never Lovlier, and even in the early 90s, Kate Moss’ see through dress was so controversial, it’s still talked about today.

But now in 2023, visible nipples are to be encouraged. That’s according to Kim Kardashian.

The reality star has launched a new SKIMS bra, with a built in nipple, providing’perfect fullness with a built-in, faux nipple for a perky braless look.’

‘Some days are hard,’ says Kim. ‘But these nipples are harder.’

For those of us that sat in freezing cold school assemblies, terrified our nipples might stand to attention underneath our school uniform, this is quite the U-turn.

Gone are the days of hiding them away – now, the nipple is the ultimate fashion accessory.

SilkFred’s head stylist Megan Watkins told Metro.co.uk: ‘Since the #FreeTheNipple campaign, women everywhere have enjoyed ‘normalising’ and embracing our nipples.

‘We have seen nipple-centered trends on runways, red carpets and street stylers – see Zendaya’s iconic Tom Ford breastplate she wore in 2020, or Julia Fox’s nipple-baring sheer look she wore to Paris Fashion week in September.’

‘Naked fashion’ itself is a stand-out trend of 2023, with celebrities like Rita Ora, Dua Lipa and Florence Pugh all embracing the no-bra look at high-profile events.

Zendaya wearing the Tom Ford breast plate. (Picture: David Crotty/Patrick McMullan)

The pandemic is also partly responsible for the the trend. Non-wired and crop-top style bras thrived in a WFH environment, where comfort was key.

Research showed that before the pandemic, around one in three M&S customers were buying non wired bras and bralettes. But in 2021, nearly half of their shoppers were opting for softer styles. And, any bra wearer will know that your nipples are going to be a lot more obvious when they’re not hid between a layer of padding.

But it’s not always such a positive picture. Psychiatrist, aesthetic doctor and body specialist Dr Galyna Selezneva believes that nipples are finally being embraced as society becomes more extreme.

She says: ‘Thanks to social media, we’ve become a very visual society. If we’re not engaged in content after a couple of seconds, we move our attention to something else.

‘That means we’ve also become a society of extremes – we only have to look at Kim Kardashian and her tiny waist, and big bottom, to see that’s what grabs our attention.’

For body confidence campaigners, the trend to show off our nips can only be a good thing.

Presenter and podcaster Jackie Adedeji explored society’s attitude to larger breasts in her documentary, Untold: My Big Boobs.

She believes that the new SKIMS offering is empowering. She says: ‘Women’s breasts and nipples have long been seen as comedic in a Carry On sense, and I can remember when there used to be ‘nip slip’ columns in magazines.

‘There’s so much censorship around the female body – but now, Kim is helping us to embrace what is a very natural thing.

‘Our nipples can change depending on where we are in our cycle, or what the temperature is like. Now, instead of telling us to be ashamed and hide it, we can be upfront about it.

‘It’s about body acceptance and feeling okay with what you’ve got.’

Jackie also says that the bra ’embraces sexiness’. ‘I think nipples are hot!’ she says. ‘Thanks to the Barbie film, we’re leaning into our femininity more.

‘We’re choosing how we want to be sexy, on our own terms.’

But, there’s just one issue – Kim isn’t freeing the nipple exactly, she’s suggesting you wear fake ones.

Dr Galyna suggests the bra could actually cause more insecurity. She says: ‘For women that have had surgery, such as mastectomies, which has caused them to lose their nipples, they could benefit hugely from this bra.

‘But for other people, it could leave them wondering why they don’t have two perfect, seed-like nipples as shown in this bra.

‘Nipple surgery is nothing new – we’ve had women wanting to enlarge, or make their nipples shorter, for years.

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‘Its another way that women are being told what their bodies ‘should’ look like.’

She also adds that the bra sexualises women.

She says: ‘Our nipples become erect when they’re aroused. Wearing this bra therefore ends the message that you are aroused – when you’re not.

‘We’ve worked hard over the years to break down the taboo of female pleasure, and the realities of female orgasms, and what real vaginas actually look like.

‘But this is a caricature, almost comical portrayal of a nipple.

‘To me, this is not empowering. No two nipples are the same. But this bra is about covering up what you’ve actually got, to fit into a perfect box.’

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Kim K’s new SKIMS bra comes with built in nipples for a ‘perky braless look’.