On the 31st of October of 2023 the brand SKIMS by Kim Kardashian released the “SKIMS ULTIMATE Nipple Push Up Bra”. This product launch in our opinion has loads to discuss.
From both our perspectives;
Eva, who grew up in the 90s with nipples basically everywhere and Lola, who grew up without nipples everywhere.
Eva’s vision
Let me start by saying that initially when the nipple bra came to my attention I thought it was brilliant. But over the course of time I don't know what to think about it.
I grew up with a lot of visible nipples, at the time, women either didn't wear a bra or it was a one layer bra which always showed the shape of the breast and if there was a prominent nipple, it was visible.
I never wore a bra until I was about 29. I felt like I didn't need one, and I did try one once and thought it was incredibly uncomfortable. For one or other reason I started wearing a padded bra around that time. I guess I felt like i had to, as if it was not appropriate anymore. Also I felt like it would be easier to wear certain clothes.
“I’ve never worn a bra in my life. Ever!”
Kate Moss
The breasts you saw on the streets in the early 2000's were mostly alike - every woman was wearing a padded push-up bra and the natural shape of the boob kind of disappeared. Personally i think that is a shame - the idea that we all feel like we have to look the same - have the same body-types, it is just un-natural and it probably also causes young girls to be insecure about their breasts.
I remember an episode of Sex and the city where Samatha was showing the other girls her fake nipples - and loving that idea - In a way this was the very first 'nipple bra'
So I really would love every woman to be proud of their unique breasts, and show them to the world like they are.
And I also think that it is great to sometimes wear something that makes you feel different or sexy, like a push-up bra or a nipple bra. I can't make up my mind about it. I think the Skims nipple bra looks like typical old-school silicone tits, and that is funny and sad at the same time.
Love, Eva
Ps. i stopped wearing a bra for a while now, and I love that freedom!
Lola’s vision
Even though I don't like admitting it, there is a stigma about showing the nipple. This stigma has risen due to sexualization, judgement, insecurity, harassment and probably more.
As a woman it has been normalized that we need to hide our breasts while men don’t. This is weird to begin with but there have definitely been weirder things.
Although I did not necessarily grow up with nipples everywhere I have always learned from my mother that you should not be embarrassed of it and that everyone has different nipples and boobs and that that is okay.
"As a woman it has been normalized that we need to hide our breasts while men don’t"
However, as a small teen I obviously could not be the only one without a bra so I went along with it and kind of loved it. I loved that when I wore T- shirts or tops I didn't feel super aware of what shape my boobs were looking or if they were too much on display. It felt secure and nice and it made me worry less about them. In contrast to my mom I actually think bra’s are quite comfortable at times. I don’t know if it is because of insecurity or something other than that but it makes me feel more comfortable and confident.
Just as my mom, the SKIMS Nipple Push up bra designed by Kim Kardashian gives me mixed feelings. I kind of see it as sort of fighting fire with fire. It seems to me that Kim Kardashian wanted to bring back this idea of seeing nipples through clothing because it’s sexy of which I completely agree but I also think that the bra is insinuating that just the natural nipple is not perfect enough. It is like saying that we should bring back this natural appearance but instead of it actually being natural it needs to be a perfect round boob with push ups. Now here you are still building onto this insecurity of the natural state of the boobs and nipples.
On the other hand I also want to defend the bra from a different perspective. Due to the difference in size of boobs there has always been this issue of support when a woman wears no bra. So in the case of women with big boobs that need the logistics of a bra to support their backs and what not, this bra gives them an opportunity to still have this sexy nipple moment without suffering. This then brings the bra to a completely different perspective since it is in this sense trying to unite women and make it accessible for anyone and everyone. Secretly I hope this is the reason behind the product but I just can't quite prove it.
All in all, the bra was a major moment in fashion and women's beauty. It is controversial in ways but also enlightening in different ways. I guess you can never quite understand the motives behind a product like this and we can only comment on it to your friends and family or maybe a silly little blog you have.
Have a great Friday,
And maybe show some nipples tonight…
Love, Lola
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