Degrading or empowering? Why people can't stop talking about Bianca Censori's naked dress.

USA Today

05-02-2025

Well, that happened.
The Grammys took place Sunday night, but days later the moment no one can stop talking about occurred before the main ceremony even started − when Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, hit the red carpet with his wife, model Bianca Censori.
Jaws dropped when the couple stopped to pose for pictures. In videos now circulating all over social media, a stone-faced Ye stands by Censori as she drops her large fur coat to reveal a skin-tight, see-through outfit underneath − essentially exposing her entire naked body to photographers. Ye, by contrast, wears a T-shirt, pants and sunglasses.
The internet erupted into discourse about the moment, with some brushing it off as classic Kanye antics and others outraged at the display.
According to fashion and sociology experts, Ye and Censori's goal was obvious: to shock and draw attention to themselves (and, if so, then mission accomplished). They add, however, that the stunt also prompts a larger conversation about how clothing (or lack thereof) speaks to gender, agency and power.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
"What I saw was something that is derivative … It is not creative. It's tired," says Shira Tarrant, a women's, gender and sexuality studies professor and the author of "The Pornography Industry: What Everyone Needs to Know." "This juxtaposition of a fully dressed man and an undressed, naked woman replicates very old tropes in pop culture that have been around for decades. And that does speak to power. It speaks to bodies and whose body is available for public consumption, who gets to be clothed, who doesn't get to be clothed."
What Bianca Censori's nudity means
Nudity is a fraught topic, and it often means different things to different people. To some, it's a symbol of sexual empowerment and liberation. To others, a symbol of degradation and objectification.
Fashion and sociology experts say that, when examining the significance any bold fashion statement, context plays an important role.
That's because nudity can take on drastically different meanings. For instance, remember when Rose McGowan wore a see-through dress to the MTV Video Music Awards in 1998? One of the first major advocates of the Hollywood #MeToo movement, McGowan said she went with the nearly naked look in order to reclaim a sense of agency over her body after she was assaulted by disgraced film producer, and now convicted sex offender, Harvey Weinstein.
'It was my first big public appearance after being sexually assaulted," she told Yahoo! Entertainment years later. "It was like at the end of 'Gladiator' when he comes out and he's like, 'Are you not entertained?' And if you look at me, I did it with power. I didn't do it with my hand on my hip to be sexy."
More:Ye, nearly nude wife Bianca Censori surprise on 2025 Grammy Awards red carpet
She got a lot of flak for it at the time, but McGowan said her critics missed the point. Some of her supporters have too: "Most of the women that have done homages or dressed kind of like that on the red carpet, it's a calculated, sexy move to turn people on. Mine was like, 'I'm gonna (mess) with your brain.'"
With Ye and Censori, however, that likely wasn't the case, says Leora Tanenbaum, author of the forthcoming book "Sexy Selfie Nation: Standing Up for Yourself in Today's Toxic, Sexist Culture."
"Censori's naked dress shifted attention toward her body and away from West's identity as someone with a history of odious, hate-filled comments and behavior," Tanenbaum says. "Diverting attention from his behavior while showcasing his identity as an alpha male with a sexy wife serves only his advantage."
It also plays on an important fashion theory that many people are not consciously aware of, but that nevertheless plays out around them all the time, says Lorynn Divita, a professor of apparel design and merchandising and the author of the book "Fashion Forecasting."
That's the theory of "vicarious consumption," which posits that people derive satisfaction and pleasure not just from owning lavish goods and services, but by their mere proximity to them as well.
"It's basically how, in the past, men displayed their wealth through how well kept their wives or mistresses or children were," Divita says. "By bringing Bianca in and having her wear these clothes, Kanye is basically using her to display his lack of adherence to social norms. ... He is, through her, vicariously conveying his power."
More:These jeans that make you look like you wet yourself cost $800 – and sold out. Why?
He isn't just signaling his power over Censori, Tarrant says − he's also signaling his power over you, the viewer. After all, no one on the Grammys red carpet consented to seeing Censori naked when she decided to drop her coat. Neither did anyone who opened social media this week, only to be bombarded with images of the moment.
What does Bianca Censori's Grammys nudity mean for the future of fashion?
If you're sick of seeing nude or nearly nude looks at major fashion events, Ye and Censori's stunt might have one silver lining: That nudity for nudity's sake could be on its way out.
For decades, it seems clothing in American pop culture has grown more and more revealing − to the point where the last thing left to do that's shocking is appear naked.
With nowhere left to turn, fashion might finally need to find a new trend, something Divita calls "the pendulum of fashion." She says it's one of the only things you can count on in an otherwise fickle and unpredictable industry − that, once a trend gets exhausted, it means its opposite is probably on the horizon.
For an example, she says, look no further than skinny jeans: They kept getting skinner and skinner until, seemingly all of a sudden, flared and baggy pants were back in. Will the same happen with nudity?
"The only thing you can count on in fashion is that what goes up must come down," Divita says. "Eventually, people will get tired and the cycle will change."
If it does, we'll see if Ye and Censori get the memo.