Kim Kardashian Launching SKIMS ‘Ultimate Nipple Bra’ Is A Full Circle Moment I Wasn’t Prepared For

As a millennial, I dreaded seeing predictions of low-waist jeans making a comeback. I never really liked them when I was a kid, I definitely didn’t feel comfortable or my best, most cutest-self in them either. And so many trends from the 2000s have a similar effect on most people. For instance, the mismatched foundation, the nude lipsticks, the super thin eyebrows – I wouldn’t want to follow any of those things now. Then there are those trends that were neither good nor bad. They just existed, really. For instance, somewhere in the 90s, many Hollywood celebrities began to show up for events sporting a ‘braless look.’

Which resulted in nipples showing through much of the attire they were wearing, of course. This became such a huge trend that we saw this being spoken about and sometimes shown in mainstream shows.

There was a heavy reference to the trend in Sex and The City, when one of the main characters Samantha Jones (played by Kim Cattrall) spoke about nipples being a big deal at the time. Then, in Friends, the main characters Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) and Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) often seemed to be braless as well. So, clearly nipples-showing-through fad was something that defined the 2000s.

Cut to the present day, 2023 – Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand SKIMS has just launched the Ultimate Nipple Bra. What exactly does that mean? Well, it’s a bra with nipple-like formations, so when you wear it, it’ll look like you’re not wearing a bra at all. Which means we’ve come full circle, folks. We’re revisiting the era of Juicy Couture tracksuits being all the rage, the era of crass paparazzi culture and of every celeb having a flip phone.

What a time to be alive! Frankly, I never thought I’d see this make a come back. But if anyone was going to bring a trend back from one of the most chaotic and controversial eras, and turn it into a business idea, I guess it was going to be none other than Kim Kardashian.

At the same time, I’m wondering what prospects such lingerie would have in our country. We, Indian women, grow up constantly being told to conceal parts of our bodies. So many of us have been conditioned to feel shameful about simply existing comfortably in our skin. That includes being ashamed of our breasts as well! Most desi women are constantly nagged to wear their bras, or cover up their chests with scarves to maintain a kind of discretion around the particular area, for almost all their lives.

In fact, Indian women are told to cover up so often that we can’t imagine wearing anything that lets our nipples show through, forget wearing a bra that gives such an illusion. So, I’m not sure how this SKIMS product would perform in India.

As for how the SKIMS’ Ultimate Nipple Bra was launched, the brand posted a video featuring Kim Kardashian herself. Where she said some pretty witty things like ‘So no matter how hot it is, you’ll always look cold,’ and ‘Some days are hard, but, these nipples are harder.’ While some people didn’t find this product to be as appealing, others were quite amused by it. ‘It’s getting NIPPY’ says a comment by an Instagram user on the original post.

While this is a particularly interesting moment in culture, the fact that in so many parts of the world women are still battling self-esteem issues that stem from patriarchal conditioning that’s told us to feel ashamed of our bodies, is sad. We’re happy for the women who are more liberated than some of us, but at the same time, wistfully wondering when that day will come for us.