Corsets, mini skirts, platform heels… and now hairy thongs. Outrage is what we want and have always wanted. From each decade to the next, what has pushed fashion trends into each wild and wonderful phase is shock factor.
It’s no wonder, then, that we are now seeing a new wave of crazy products and styles, from widespread retail to runway haute couture. In recent years, we’ve watched in disbelief as celebrities such as Sam Smith and Julia Fox (among others) have hit the global stage with satanic get-ups, bondage-wear, or simply nude. Though they have been condemned ruthlessly by half the internet, their lovers and their haters have driven their engagement skyward– and the brands that they promote, too.
The public’s love for the unusual has made its way, as it often does, into high fashion, seen in the runway seasons of recent fashion weeks. Notably, Alexander McQueen and Diesel have leaned heavily into revealing the buttocks. The fashion world is abuzz with reactions from the shows, where models are displayed in skirts and dresses with a dipped hem over the bum, exposing the upper section. There was also the revival of the ‘Bumster’ jeans by McQueen, which took critics for a field day with the open-zip detail.
SKIMS owner Kim Kardashian has caught onto this pattern of notoriety and taken it into mainstream sales, a move that saw her products sell out in hours. Starting more subtly with the Nipple Bra, which reclaimed the sexuality of erect nipples, rather than shying away from the taboo. This was received with overwhelming positivity and perhaps is a more lasting example of shock fashion trends. Kardashian’s newest creation, however, has people up in arms, critics denouncing the ‘Ultimate Bush’ thongs as “grotesque” and an “insane” waste of money. Why, then, have they got the internet transfixed? If they are so horrible, why did thousands of people watch the game show-esque promotional video and then willingly spend the £34 on a thong mimicking pubic hair?
Is it due to the extensive reach of social media that we are buying into these more shocking ventures? Perhaps our constant exposure to new content has numbed us as consumers to the point of a lack of interest in anything that isn’t extraordinary. But are people really forking out £34 just to cure the boredom? Perhaps fashion trends like these are really just that: trends that pass through. Such a provocative item has the potential to increase a company’s value, indicating something we might be wise to invest in.
Photo by Charlota Blunarova on Unsplash
