Naked and Afraid (of Kanye)
The evolution and destruction of the naked dress
The future is female, as echoed in the 2025 Grammy Awards. Doechii became the third woman to win Best Rap Album. Chappell Roan took a stand, calling out label’s poor treatment of artists. Charli XCX won Best Electronic Album. Shakira shimmied the roof down during her first Grammy performance in 18 years, and Beyonce won Best Album for Cowboy Carter.
But while we let the pop girls shine and dominate, a cloak of misogyny was ready to steal the thunder.
Kanye West (Ye) and his wife, Australian model Bianca Censori, arrived on the red carpet dressed in black. I was relieved. Kayne had been there for 20 seconds and hadn’t thrown a tantrum. But boy, I spoke too soon.
As the couple posed in front of flashing cameras, Kayne appeared to be speaking down to Bianca. With a blank face she dropped her fur coat revealing a completely naked dress. Her fully clothed husband swaggered beside her like a kid showing off his new Lego set.
The media was quick to label Bianca’s nudity not as an act of empowerment, but as a symbol of control. In a cultural revolution where female nudity is viewed as art, has Kayne crucified the naked dress movement?
The naked dress movement has roots dating as far back as the 16th century. Queen Marie Antoinette caused an uproar in French Court after being painted wearing a cotton muslin dress resembling undergarments.
Fast forward to 1962, Marilyn Monrose serenaded John F Kennedy with ‘Happy Birthday’, wearing a flesh-coloured gown with 6000 crystals.
Cher made waves again at the 1974 Met Gala, wearing a nude, silver sequined and feather-lined gown. The dress was designed by the same Bob Mackie that designed Marilyn's dress. In a January interview, Mackie told People Magazine, “People were horrified, they thought, that’s not fashion, she’s just naked at the Metropolitan.” But the fashion world was rocked for the better, with Cher appearing on the cover of Vogue in the same dress in 1975.
Some iconic naked dresses emerged from accidents, like Jane Birkin unknowingly exposing her breasts and black thong at the 1969 Slogan premiere. Birkin famously remarked, “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have worn knickers.”
Similarly in 1993, Kate Moss turned heads a sheer dress she didn’t realise was see-through until the photos revealed it the next day. Moss embraced the trend, advising wearers in a 2022 interview with Bazaar to “Never wear a pasty.”
More recently, the naked dress resurgence has been led by Kim Kardashian — from her 2019 ‘wet look’ by Thierry Mugler, and her controversial showcase of Monroe’s JFK dress in 2022. And like Bianca, Kim was also pressured into fashion choices by her ex-husband Kayne.
During their relationship, Kayne monetised Kim’s body. In 2013, a naked Kim was wrapped around Kanye in the ‘Bound 2’ music video. And in 2014, he encouraged Kim to ‘break the internet’ with a naked Paper Magazine cover. And in 2019, Kim told Vogue that Kanye had taken control of her style and how she dressed in public.
Despite Kim's success in launching an inclusive lingerie brand, and passing the bar exam, these experiences have stained her career — not because she's naked, but because it wasn't necessarily her choice. Whereas Kanye, despite his antisemitic agenda, is still hailed as a misunderstood genius.
Julia Fox, another ex of Kanye's, writes in her memoir Down the Drain that their relationship left her feeling “used” and dirty”. During their time together, Kanye hired stylists which took direction from him about what Julia could wear in public.
But both Kim and Julia have taken back control, using the naked dresses for its desired effect — to showcase empowerment, beauty and seduction of their bodies.
The naked dress is a contemporary reimagining of nude art, celebrating the beauty and natural allure of women. Iconic works like The Birth of Venus portray the female form draped in sheer silk or surrounded by ethereal figures. They’re never overshadowed by a man hovering behind them.
However, Bianca’s Grammys gown was devoid of the sequins and ivory shimmering silk. Bianca didn’t stand there alone, confidently grinning like Cher or Doja Cat. She wasn’t even dressed like herself. The smoky eyed and slick backed bob were an obvious Kardashian cosplay.
It was pure, unadulterated exploitation, illustrating how quickly female nudity can become property.
The true power of the naked dress lies in the wearer’s confidence, where it becomes a symbol of self-empowerment rather than an object for someone else’s gaze.
From Marie Antoinette to Cher, their decision to bear their bodies was their own.