WHEN FLORENCE PUGH stepped out at Valentino’s FW22 couture show, she knew her Barbie-pink gown with layers of tulle and a completely sheer top was going to be a thing.
“I was comfortable with my small breasts,” she told Harper’s BAZAAR. “And showing them like that — it aggravated [people] that I was comfortable.”
In western culture, women’s breasts are inherently sexualised. From celebrities being papped grabbing their morning coffee sans-bra, to others opting to bare their breasts in full-on naked dresses on the red carpet; whenever a non-male nipple is involved, it is somehow front-page news.
There are myriad reasons why many gawk (or clutch their pearls) at the sight of bared breasts. The societal idea that they should be hidden has led to women and non-binary people covering up, and being body shamed if they bend the rules of what’s deemed ‘appropriate’ or ‘tasteful’ — or even having posts taken down or their accounts banned on social media if the algorithm deems their nipples unacceptably feminine and therefore against community guidelines.
Related: The most famous time fashion freed the nipple on the catwalk
In the meantime, the controversy will hardly keep boundary-pushers at bay — they have been bucking the norm and going bra-less for years, especially since the Free the Nipple movement went mainstream in 2012. In the years since, countless celebrities have dared to bare — below, discover a handful of those who have embraced the Free the Nipple movement.
Related: Breasts in BAZAAR: A celebration of the feminine form
Celebrities who free the nipple
1
Zoë Kravitz
1
Zoë Kravitz
Attending the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, Olivia Wilde channelled new boho in this gorgeous sheer Chloé gown — wearing nothing but a sheer pair of underwear beneath.
2
Julia Fox
2
Julia Fox
Ever the avant-garde fashion queen, Julia Fox wore an ethereal Dilara Fındıkoğlu look featuring long tresses of hair draped across her body beneath sheer material, inspired by The Birth of Venus.
3
Zoë Kravitz
3
Zoë Kravitz
Attending an afterparty for her directorial debut, Blink Twice, Zoë Kravitz embodied her regular cool-girl style in a sheer beige tank and pleated asymmetric skirt from The Row.
4
Kendall Jenner
4
Kendall Jenner
In an Instagram post on June 4, 2024, Kendall Jenner poses on a yacht at sunset in a sheer lavender dress, sans bra.
5
Emily Ratajkowski
5
Emily Ratajkowski
Emily Ratajkowski opted for a naked dress at the 2024 Met Gala, dripping in a bedazzled vintage Versace gown.
6
Doja Cat
6
Doja Cat
At the 2024 Met Gala, Doja Cat looked like she was fresh out of the shower, wearing a glittery dripping mascara makeup look and a wet-look t-shirt dress by VETEMENTS — with nothing beneath.
7
Anitta
7
Anitta
Brazilian singer-songwriter Anitta donned a stunning Fendi backless naked dress for the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscars Party, wearing nothing but a thong underneath, and pairing the dramatic look with undone hair and smoky eye makeup.
8
Florence Pugh
8
Florence Pugh
Florence Pugh once again demonstrated her love of a sheer look in Jean Paul Gaultier by Simone Rocha at the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscars Party.
10
Julia Fox
10
Julia Fox
Julia Fox loves a bold fashion look, and she proved that love to be everlasting with this look she wore to the Mugler autumn/winter ’24 runway at Paris Fashion Week. The Down The Drain author wore a sheer catsuit covered in clear sequins and a plume of feather-like transparent strips of material, going sans-bra for the look.
11
Camille Razat
11
Camille Razat
Arriving at the Givenchy SS24 runway at Paris Fashion Week, Emily in Paris star Camille Razat looked otherworldly in this sheer periwinkle gown.
13
Doja Cat
13
Doja Cat
Arriving to the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, BAZAAR‘s September cover star Doja Cat was draped in a MONSE Maison dress resembling ivory cobwebs. Tendrils of fabric climbed across her body, revealing her breasts while she donned a pair of nude underwear. She accessorised with similarly-see-through pumps, glittering earrings, and a ’20s-esque makeup look complete with thin arched brows, white eyeshadow, and exaggerated lashes.
14
Dua Lipa
15
Florence Pugh
15
Florence Pugh
After making a splash with her pink Valentino gown, Pugh dared to bare in the designer yet again. During the FW24 couture week, Pugh stunned in a sheer purple gown from the brand.
16
Janelle Monae
The multi-hyphenate made a splash on social media when she teased new music in a see-through wet t-shirt. Emerging from a pool, Janelle Monaé wore a white shirt which read: “PLEASURE” which she paired with micro Champion shorts. Monaé captioned the post: “tomm,” in reference to her upcoming single ‘Lipstick Lover.’
17
Kendall Jenner
17
Kendall Jenner
After embracing her sultry side for Calvin Klein’s latest campaign, the model donned a see-through look for her new edit with FWRD.
18
Julia Fox
18
Julia Fox
In a sheer black maxi dress and leather bolero at Paris Fashion Week in 2023
19
Taylor Russell
19
Taylor Russell
In a sheer top, sitting front row at Loewe’s autumn/winter ’23 show.
20
Florence Pugh (again)
20
Florence Pugh (again)
At the Valentino show in July, 2022.
21
Victoria De Angelis
21
Victoria De Angelis
The Måneskin bassist is a proud supporter of the Free the Nipple movement, often posting in support on Instagram.
22
Zoë Kravitz
22
Zoë Kravitz
Donning an 18k-gold mesh bra by Tiffany & Co at the 2019 Oscars after-party.
23
Miley Cyrus
23
Miley Cyrus
A long-standing supporter of the Free the Nipple movement, Cyrus bared all on Instagram in 2019.
24
Lourdes Leon
24
Lourdes Leon
Lourdes Leon channelled her mother, Madonna’s 1984 VMAs look on the red carpet in 2018.
25
Bella Hadid
25
Bella Hadid
In a Dior gown during Couture Week in 2017.
26
Kim Kardashian
26
Kim Kardashian
Wearing a shimmery sheer tank dress in 2016.
27
Rihanna
27
Rihanna
In a now-iconic Adam Selman look at the 2014 CFDA Awards
28
Cara Delevingne
28
Cara Delevingne
Back in 2014, the model shared this powerful post to Instagram.
29
Janelle Monáe (again)
29
Janelle Monáe (again)
The non-binary singer has been an advocate for de-sexualising breasts for years, even singing about it in their 2015 song “Yoga”: You cannot police me, so get off my areola / Get off my areola.
What is the Free the Nipple movement?
Free the Nipple is a long-standing movement that argues there is a double standard against feminine nipples, which are deemed inappropriate to expose or display — while masculine nipples are perfectly fine to post, or expose. The movement argues that women’s breasts shouldn’t be seen as inherently sexual or inappropriate in the same way that male nipples are not seen as sexual, and the double standards should be squashed. The slogan went viral around 2013, after Facebook censored clips from Free The Nipple, a documentary by American producer and actor Lina Esco.
After years of controversy after female-presenting social media users have repeatedly had their posts taken down for nudity, now, it appears as though some social media platforms may finally ease their restrictions on non-male nipples, as Meta’s independent advisory board has advised Facebook and Instagram to clarify and re-define its rules around adult nudity “so that all people are treated in a manner consistent with international human rights standards, without discrimination on the basis of sex or gender”. The decision has come about as a result of a case in which a transgender, non-binary couple argued that their bare-chested posts discussing gender-affirming top surgery were unfairly removed after being reported. Meta reinstated the posts and committed to an investigation of the issue, coming to the conclusion that their Adult Nudity Standard, which prohibits images of female nipples “other than in specified circumstances, such as breastfeeding and gender confirmation surgery … is based on a binary view of gender and a distinction between male and female bodies”.
“Such an approach makes it unclear how the rules apply to intersex, non-binary and transgender people, and requires reviewers to make rapid and subjective assessments of sex and gender, which is not practical when moderating content at scale,” the Board wrote in its decision. “Exceptions are often convoluted and poorly defined … Meta’s policies on adult nudity result in greater barriers to expression for women, trans, and gender non-binary people on its platforms.”
So what does that mean for #FreeTheNipple advocates? Well, nothing concrete just yet. Now that the Board has made its recommendations, Facebook and Instagram have 60 days to publicly respond, so we’ll have to wait up to another two months to find out whether they will finally address the concerns that have been voiced for years.
2025-03-04 06:09:00
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