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A female nipple in the foreground. It's one of the first things our eyes see after birth. At first blurry and with days, in high definition. What should be for everyone the most familiar of images becomes, however, one of the most problematic, undoubtedly because you have to spend your life reconciling the loving food breast with the erogenous breast, and from that contradiction arises a taboo. A mess. Separating the female breast from this conflict is so complicated... that we are still here, in the 21st century, without resolving it. The penultimate piece of the puzzle has been put by Skims, Kim Kardashian's corsetry brand by marketing a bra, the Nipple Push-Up Bra, with "a raised nipple detail incorporated to achieve a cheeky, braless look that makes a bold statement".

It is difficult to determine whether the simulacrum proposed by Kim Kardashian is a fashion-protest action, the response to a social demand or if behind it there is no stage, but only a hollow decoration, only fueled by the need for constant novelty imposed by the market. But it certainly helps us to get a snapshot of the moment that is going through an upward trend, one where ideology, beliefs, fashion, sexuality and, of course, business converge: that of letting female nipples be noticed under clothes or, directly, visible.

There is nothing superficial about the issue and its associated controversy. Nor were they born yesterday. There are many women of different generations who have experienced a sultry day with pointed nipples under their clothes (even with a bra). Because the male gaze is the one that has dominated fashion throughout history, and nipples that are noticeable under clothes (we don't even talk about being transparent), have traditionally been considered a sign of a sexual type. In fact, there is a meme that reproduces an image of Jennifer Aniston in 'Friends' wearing a T-shirt under which her nipples are clearly visible and the caption: "The only reason any guy watched 'Friends'". And it's not that Rachel, the character played by Aniston, was the pioneer in the practice of this, at least until now, 'transgression'. The female breast and its meaning have such a long history, and its visibility and concealment so many ups and downs, that the late historian Marilyn Yalom dedicated a magnificent book to it in 1997: 'History of the Breast'.

Singer Amaia Romero, at the last San Sebastian Film Festival.

Boobs in the 70s

Between the 70s and 80s of the last century, celebrities such as Deborah Harris, Laura Antonelli, Pamela Anderson, Sharon Stone, even our own Marta Sánchez, signed up for braless with varying degrees of affiliation and enthusiasm. Also fashion design, with Courrèges and his mythical see-through garments at the forefront. More: Kim Kardashian's aforementioned 'invention' is not such. In the 70s in the United States, a Nipple Bra was already marketed, a bra that simulated two upright nipples and that in its advertising promised "that sensual look without a bra while wearing a bra". She added: "The look is so provocative that no one would believe you're actually wearing a bra. However, you get all the support you want."

However, it did not prosper on a massive level, and the nipple was once again relegated to darkness under layers of fabric. Of course, the enormous repercussion that any accidental (or not) exhibition of it has had in recent years shows that the taboo on it continues to excite curiosity and desire. Like the one starring Janet Jackson's right nipple (and it was under the nipple shield) in 2004 at the Super Bowl. It had such an impact, in this case, that it was investigated by the Federal Communications Commission, and the case reached the Supreme Court (to reconsider the fine of 411,000 euros that was imposed on CBS, the channel that rebroadcast it).

Changing Erogenous Zones in Fashion

These ups and downs in the acceptance or not of the visible nipple in particular and the breast in general are partially explained by the theory of changing erogenous zones by the British psychoanalyst John Flügel (1884 - 1955). The idea is that in fashion there is constantly a battle between seduction and decorum. Fashion would always try to accentuate certain areas of the body endowed with erotic charm, which later decorum turns into an object of repression and concealment. When decorum conceals one area, fashion uncovers another, and so on ad infinitum, in a game where repression and desire feed off each other. As Marilyn Yalom explains, "the part of the body that bears the sexual charge owes much of its fascination to that total or partial concealment" to which we subject it. Thus, the history of the neckline is a history of comings and goings, of ups and downs, and now, of transparencies and opacities, as old as the differentiation of male and female clothing in medieval times.

Un naked bodi by Jean Paul Gaultier.J.P.G.

The 'fault' was Instagram's, not the cha-cha-cha

Thus, one of the reasons that explain the growing prominence of the female nipple is to be found, following Flügel's thesis, in a prohibition. When Instagram decreed the disappearance of naked female breasts on the social network in 2021, it was armed. Apart from the direct criticism of a censorship that many considered double standards (depending on the signature of the photo or who appeared in it), celebrities and semi-celebrities began to invent ways to circumvent the imposition, starting with Britney Spears, who defied the social network by posting a selfie where she squeezed both breasts with her hands and covered her nipples with stars. The controversy also revived the #Freethenipple movement, started in 2013 by American filmmaker Lina Esco, which questions the convention of considering the exposure of female breasts, as opposed to male breasts, to be indecent, and called for the desexualization of the breast.

It was expected that Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, would change its policy on female nipples in 2023, but this has not been the case, which has only further spurred the imagination of public figures and also fashion designers, always attentive to social reality, to circumvent the ban. And so, influencers of the weight of the Italian Chiara Ferragni have become activists for the liberation, desexualization and dignification of the female body through... precisely from the same social networks.

The naked dress with which Chiara Ferragni acted as master of ceremonies at the Sanremo Festival.

Ferragni has been key due to its great visibility on social media. In September 2021, she wore a black long-sleeved top by Schiaparelli that was completely sheer and featured two gold replicas of real nipples on her nipples. And this year, at the Sanremo Festival, the influencer, in her role as master of ceremonies, made a big impact with a spectacular body reveal dress that simulated her naked body, signed by Dior, which served to reinforce her message: "If you cover up you are a nun, if not, a whore". "Unfortunately, sexism is normalized. Defy it and don't fear the consequences," challenged the Italian businesswoman in her most feminist speech to date.

Florence Pugh and the 'sin' of having small tits

"If we change the dress, the body that wears it changes the world," says Umberto Galimberti in 'The Myths of Our Time' (Debate). That's what this story is about. But it's not easy. When two years ago the actress Florence Pugh appeared in a (wonderful) Valentino evening dress in a deep pink color, and that perfectly showed her breasts under the transparent body, she received so much criticism, especially for having small breasts, that she felt compelled to react. And she posts on her social media: "I am fully aware of the size of my boobs and I am not afraid of them. What's more worrisome is, why do you have it? Why are you afraid of boobs? Small? Large? Left? Right? Just one? Maybe none? What's so scary?"

Actress Florence Pugh in Valentino's sheer dress for which she received numerous criticisms towards the size of her breasts. GTRES

The latest to appear with her nipple in the air was the singer Rita Ora, who attended Vogue's 'Forces For Change' event in London a few days ago wearing a transparent black dress except for black flowers that covered, or not, depending on the moment, the nipples. The flashes she received almost melted her, a sign of the good health that the taboo still enjoys today. Stand-up comedian Patricia Sornosa made a humorous reflection on the matter: "Of course, celebrities show us where the fashion world wants us to direct us. You know what they don't teach us? Well, in addition to perfect bodies, they have bodyguards." Patricia: we make you the wave.

Rita Ora in a see-through dress, at a Vogue party in London.

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