Nipple normativity, nipple diversity, all the nipples, all the time

I confess that sometimes we’re late to trends around here.  Okay,  I’m old. 

I was strolling around the store Winners with my friend Victoria on Easter weekend when we spotted bras with added nipples. What the heck?

Wow,  times have changed. One of my most popular blog posts from a dozen years ago was about padded sports bras and nipple phobia. Now we’ve gone from covering up nipples to showing off nipples.

Ah. But they can’t be just any nipples you’re showing off. They very likely can’t be your nipples. They have to be perfect nipples. See Do nipples have beauty standards now, too?

I read a bit about the bras on the internet and here’s three reasons people give for liking nipple bras. The reasons make sense.

First,  is to look like you’re going bra-less without actually going bra-less. So you’ve got support and you’ve got visible nipples.

Second,  your real nipples might be the “wrong” shape or in the “wrong” spot.

Third,  you’re wearing a padded bra and you want a more realistic look.

Also,  it turns out these bras have been around on and off for decades but made a big come back in 2023 thanks to Kim Kardashian and her lingerie line. I enjoyed hearing about movie stars sewing marbles and buttons in their bras so they had the nipple + bra look.

Okay,  clearly they’re not for me.  They might be for Victoria.  I’ll let her chime in the comments.  But you? You do you. I’m happy with a wider variety of options– covering up nipples, showing your own nipples, or displaying add-on nipples– even though I’m worried about nipple normativity and the idea that you can show nipples, as long as they’re perfectly shaped and perky.

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