Make money with pubic hair? No problem for Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian is a master of the spotlight. Over the past twenty years, the media personality has regularly made the headlines of international tabloids and television formats. When it comes to marketing, no one can easily fool her – this is once again proven by the new underwear collection of her loungewear brand SKIMS. The so-called “Faux Hair Panty” only recently came onto the market and is already sold out. Is that fashion – or can it go away?
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Make pubic hair fashion again?
SKIMS doesn’t shy away from controversial underwear models. In 2023, the brand released the Original Nipple Bra to raise awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A revised version of the bra with an artificial piercing followed in May of this year – for those who want to try out the look without subjecting themselves to the pain that comes with it.
Now the brand is causing a stir on the internet with its “Ultimate Bush” micro thong that mimics pubic hair. “Does the carpet match the curtains?” is the advertising slogan.
While some are calling the launch unprecedented for the U.S. market, celebrities like Doja Cat and Julia Fox have debuted suggestive pubic hair fashions before. Despite the controversy, pubic hair thongs are in high demand: inventory is sold out and the waiting list is constantly growing.
Promo video creates discussions
The collection was announced on the morning of October 14th with an already controversial campaign video set in a sexualized 1970s game show style. The tagline: “With our bold new Faux Hair Panty, your carpet can be any color you desire.” In the video, a middle-aged presenter asks the studio audience to guess whether the models’ “hair down there” matches the color of their hair.
Although the video is intended as a parody, many people on Instagram say it teeters on the edge of objectification – if not beyond. Just one hour after publication, the clip had almost 500 comments discussing the new SKIMS product. “I’m calling 911,” writes one follower, while one user comments: “I can’t get this out of my head, I want a refund for something I didn’t even pay for.”
In her Instagram story, the loungewear entrepreneur was amused by the models in the new “Faux Hair Panty” collection. “How funny are these pubic hairs,” she laughs. “We have different colors, different hair. This is crazy. Skims, baby.”
SKIMS: The monetization of social taboos
While body hair in general and pubic hair in particular have been held up to women as a taboo, obligation or beauty requirement over the past few decades, Kim Kardashian is taking advantage of the controversy. Pubic hair is stigmatized in many ways – as can be seen from the wording. The fact that the influencer is now making a business out of something that women have been shamed for for decades is causing mixed reactions. Many see the new SKIMS collection as an attempt at empowerment, others see it as a calculated subversion of stereotypes, which ultimately benefits the entrepreneur herself.
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“€42 for pubic hair? That’s capitalism, baby,” writes “The News Movement”. Not shaving would certainly be cheaper – but is that still considered fashion? Fashion trends arise where prominent personalities set them. Kim Kardashian has proven this several times with SKIMS in recent years. The brand uses the spectacle as a vehicle to increase capital and adorns itself with feminist messages online. The nipple bra was recently a media sensation – visible nipples were either sexualized or taboo for a long time. Selling a bra that imitates bralessness seemed strange to some at the time.
The Kardashians’ pubic hair paradox
With the pubic hair thongs, SKIMS is now going one step further. While the entire Kardashian-Jenner dynasty is known for their strongly beauty-normed, emphatically flawless bodies, they market products that are supposed to break social boundaries. Their bodies are deliberately staged as post-pubertal – the only thing missing is the associated hair. The fact that capital is now being capitalized on seems paradoxical. While acceptance of female body hair is making a cautious comeback in the mainstream, Kim Kardashian’s appropriation of the trend goes too far for many. “Wax everything smooth, but then wear faux hair panties. Makes sense,” comments one user.
Despite the criticism, the new product initially appears to be successful: Shortly after the launch, all thongs in all colors and sizes were sold out, and the waiting list for supplies continues to grow.