Kim Kardashian's latest business venture is a masterclass in commodifying women's impossible beauty standards. The reality TV star has teamed up with her fast fashion brand Skims to release a line of thong underwear adorned with faux pubic hair, selling out quickly and raking in millions.
The irony here isn't lost on anyone: just over a decade ago, photographer Petra Collins faced backlash for posting an unretouched photo of her own body featuring pubic hair. The image was deemed too much by some, sparking a conversation about why certain images are met with disgust while others aren't. This very same visibility is now being sold back to women on the internet – albeit in a sanitized and profitable form.
Kardashian's success lies not in challenging these beauty standards but rather in monetizing them for profit. The mogul has built her career around harnessing the power of sex and shock, using sex-positivity as a guise to sell products that would otherwise be met with ridicule or disgust.
The trend cycle surrounding pubic hair is dizzying. From waxed and lasered bare vulvas to bushy pubes, each iteration reflects societal pressure and cultural norms. The notion that genitalia without pubic hair is 'clean' speaks volumes about the misogynistic undertones at play.
Fashion has long used pubic hair as a symbol – sometimes feminist, sometimes subversive. Vivienne Westwood's 1994 fashion show came to mind during this article, where Carla Bruni wore a faux fur coat and matching merkin. More recently, Maison Margiela sent models down the runway with visible human hair embroidered onto silk tulle.
The Brazilian wax was popularized in the late 1980s by the seven J. Sisters' salon, but laser hair removal has become an industry worth over $1 billion. The Kardashians themselves have waxed and waned (literally) on their own hair removal methods, which has contributed to a mainstream acceptance of smooth skin.
Kardashian's latest release is no exception – it embodies the marketing ideology that harnesses shock value for profit. This sanitized version of Margiela's fashion provocation sells better than anything resembling genuine edginess or controversy. What we're witnessing here isn't 'rage bait' marketing but rather an astute understanding of societal trends and consumer desire.
Ultimately, this product represents a stunning example of the ouroboros of capitalism – where an entire generation of women is sold the idea that they need their pubic hair back, only to be given it again as a convenient luxury. This cycle speaks to our society's warped priorities: that we would rather commodify and exploit something like this than address the real issues at hand.
The irony here isn't lost on anyone: just over a decade ago, photographer Petra Collins faced backlash for posting an unretouched photo of her own body featuring pubic hair. The image was deemed too much by some, sparking a conversation about why certain images are met with disgust while others aren't. This very same visibility is now being sold back to women on the internet – albeit in a sanitized and profitable form.
Kardashian's success lies not in challenging these beauty standards but rather in monetizing them for profit. The mogul has built her career around harnessing the power of sex and shock, using sex-positivity as a guise to sell products that would otherwise be met with ridicule or disgust.
The trend cycle surrounding pubic hair is dizzying. From waxed and lasered bare vulvas to bushy pubes, each iteration reflects societal pressure and cultural norms. The notion that genitalia without pubic hair is 'clean' speaks volumes about the misogynistic undertones at play.
Fashion has long used pubic hair as a symbol – sometimes feminist, sometimes subversive. Vivienne Westwood's 1994 fashion show came to mind during this article, where Carla Bruni wore a faux fur coat and matching merkin. More recently, Maison Margiela sent models down the runway with visible human hair embroidered onto silk tulle.
The Brazilian wax was popularized in the late 1980s by the seven J. Sisters' salon, but laser hair removal has become an industry worth over $1 billion. The Kardashians themselves have waxed and waned (literally) on their own hair removal methods, which has contributed to a mainstream acceptance of smooth skin.
Kardashian's latest release is no exception – it embodies the marketing ideology that harnesses shock value for profit. This sanitized version of Margiela's fashion provocation sells better than anything resembling genuine edginess or controversy. What we're witnessing here isn't 'rage bait' marketing but rather an astute understanding of societal trends and consumer desire.
Ultimately, this product represents a stunning example of the ouroboros of capitalism – where an entire generation of women is sold the idea that they need their pubic hair back, only to be given it again as a convenient luxury. This cycle speaks to our society's warped priorities: that we would rather commodify and exploit something like this than address the real issues at hand.
I'm just so done with Kim Kardashian's latest move. Like, who thought selling faux pubic hair on underwear was a good idea? 
And honestly, I don't get why people are raving about it. It just feels like more of the same old commodified beauty standards that women are expected to conform to. You know, the whole sex-positivity thing is just a marketing ploy to sell products that we'd otherwise be embarrassed about. 
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40% of women aged 18-24 say they'd pay up to $100 for a premium thong, which is probs where this whole thing gets its profit 
and 75% say they'd rather see diversity in media representation over a 'perfect' body 
60% of the fashion industry's revenue comes from fast fashion brands like Skims 
it's wild how society's pressure on women's bodies has come full circle - now we're selling 'impossible beauty standards' back to ourselves 
. Like, I get it, she's a businesswoman and all, but isn't it weird that we're still shelling out millions for products that are just trying to sell us a idea of what's " sexy" or "desirable"? It's like, newsflash: women don't need some dude telling them what they should be looking like, and our bodies come in all shapes and sizes. I mean, Petra Collins' unretouched photo was way more empowering than this latest release...