SHE’S used to sparking controversy with her revealing outfits but Kim Kardashian’s new faux nipple bra has taken things to a whole new level.
Some women have hailed the £53 Skims bra as “empowering” while others have slammed it for reducing women to “walking sex dolls”.
But how would a non-celebrity feel wearing it out and about everyday? Fabulous writer Georgette Culley, 36, from Bristol, gave it a go.
“YOU have permission to look at my boobs,” I tell a banker, opening my coat so he can get a good look.
It’s lunch time in London and I’m out on Liverpool Street stopping passers-by to ask them what they think of my newfound assets.
The push-up bra has given me an instant boob job and my nipples look harder than Tyson Fury.
As it’s a bit nippy outside, my breasts may look real to those who aren’t familiar with the new padded bra.
Skims fans may know my secret though. After all, Kim K and Skims have over 370 million followers online combined and her hilarious promo video went viral. You’d have to be living under a rock to have missed it.
Unfortunately I don’t have the rest of Kim’s outfit to pair mine with, so I opted for a grey top and jeans instead. Even under a thick, cotton material my fake nips are still prominent.
I weave carefully through the lunch time rush to avoid poking someone’s eye out with my new bazookas.
It’s not long before I start getting wolf whistles and double takes.
“You look a bit cold love, need me to warm you up,” says a guy, as I walk past.
He nudges his mate and they both flash me a cheeky grin.
Around the corner, there’s a group of builders who seem to be enjoying the view.
I ask one to kindly put down his tool, as it were, and come and speak to me. I ask him if he’s heard of the new Skims bra.
“I haven’t but my Mrs has,” he laughs. “It looks gorgeous on you though.”
He tells me how his builder pals spotted my boobs “a mile off”.
Around the corner in Finsbury Circus Gardens, I find Alex, 32, an investment banker from London.
“Honestly I could look at them all day but I’m trying to be respectful,” he tells me.
Despite this, he says he wouldn’t buy the bra for his girlfriend as there’s “other bras” he’d rather get her.
“On that rather helpful note, are you single?” he cheekily asks me.
We exchange numbers and I wonder if Kim’s nipple bra could be the secret weapon for single women. Forget Tinder, just pop on one of these bad boys and the men will come flocking.
As I continue to walk around London, I receive beeps, double looks and wolf whistles – but I do also get a few bitchy looks from women.
While I was anticipating quite a lot of male attention, I’m still surprised by just how much I’m receiving. In the space of a few hours five men have given me their numbers.
This bra was not designed for those who want to blend into the background.
The faux nipple bra is not designed for those who want to blend into the background
Fabulous writer Georgette Culley
Men find erect nipples sexier, research shows. Perhaps it’s because it makes them think of sex, as women’s nipples go hard when they’re aroused.
Of course, there’s lot of other reasons why women’s nipples harden – cold weather, pregnancy, menopause, changing hormones – to name a few.
Back to today and I’m now talking to another banker, Hassan, who was quietly enjoying his cigarette before I interrupted him.
“They look natural,” he tells me,” as I peel open my coat so he can see.
Despite liking the overall look, he admits he would be “super disappointed” if a woman he was dating took the bra off and they weren’t as advertised.
“I don’t like padded bras anyway,” he continues. “I prefer natural girls.”
He thinks the bra is false advertising but said he would buy it for his girlfriend if she wanted it.
But Alex disagrees.
“As long as they point in the right direction when they’re cold then no,” he continues. “I don’t think it’s false advertising.
“Although it is a bit like a man putting a tennis ball down their pants,” continued Alex. “Except women would be more disappointed then.”
But it’s the women who surprise me most. As I walk around the streets of London, I’m stunned at how many women stop me to comment on my breasts.
“Can I just say you’ve got fantastic boobs,” says one woman, as I order a coffee. “I’m not a lesbian by the way,” she quickly adds.
She can’t believe it when I confess they’re not real and says she is going to buy one.
It’s lunchtime and everyone’s wearing suits, hats and scarves – apart from me.
A group of female students from California laugh as I show them the bra.
“Have you got one?” I ask them.
“No, I’m too poor,” Megan replies, laughing.
She tells me she ‘probably’ wouldn’t buy the bra even if she could afford it but the group are impressed by the seamless design.
“It’s empowering, why not,” says her pal.
Nearby, I find a sweet retired couple sitting on a bench.
“I would have worn it when I was younger,” says Clare. “We used to wear wet t-shirts in the 60s, it’s nothing new.”
But her partner tells me the bra makes him feel a bit uncomfortable and he says he’d walk in a different direction if he saw a woman wearing it.
“I wouldn’t want to scare her,” he adds.
It’s getting cold so I head to Costa coffee to get a hot drink to warm me up. There, I meet Morgan, 25, who works in digital marketing, from Essex.
She tells me how the bra has been “all over her timeline”.
“My first thought when I saw it was it’s actually a call back to the 90s early 2000s when nipples through t-shirts was kind of a thing.
“To be honest I’m not surprised Kim Kardashian was the one to come out with it but it is still a very interesting choice of clothing for sure.”
She tells me how she wouldn’t go down the shops in it but if she wanted to feel a bit “sexy” she might wear it on a night out.
“I don’t think it looks too fake,” she tells me. “And paired with the right sort of clothing it looks good.
We should not be afraid of nipples or be ashamed of them
Morgan
“We should not be afraid of nipples and we shouldn’t feel ashamed to have them. I think the main issue is the judgement. If there was no judgement, people would be so much happier just wearing what they want to wear.”
As my day comes to an end, I’m ready to blend back into the background and remove my bra.
But if I ever wanted a boost, in more ways than one, I’d definitely pop it back on again.
Kim Kardashian is on a mission to free the nipple, and I’m here for it.
