Bella Hadid is the latest star to free the nipple, stunning fans in a see-through Yves Saint Laurent dress on the Cannes Film Festival 2024 red carpet.
While this may seem inconsequential to some – sheer looks have become more common in recent years – the backlash online has made it clear that many people still aren’t comfortable with the evolution of modesty standards.
In fact, many online users were quick to crticise the dress as inappropriate for the event and to even say it seemed like a ‘desperate’ bid for attention.
The Dutch-Palestinian supermodel, 27, arrived at the iconic film festival – along with other famous guests like Demi Moore, Cate Blanchett, Sienna Miller, and Kevin Costner – in look seven from the YSL fall 2024 show: a halter dress with a completely see-through top that appears to be made of pantyhose, complete with a control top hemline.
Hadid joins a long list of stars who have recently ditched bras including Doja Cat, Kendall Jenner, Dua Lipa, Rihanna, and Miley Cyrus – all of whom have faced criticism for the bold choice.
In a world where a woman’s body and clothing choices are often the subject of sexist scrutiny, the decision to expose a lot of skin carries inevitable political implications.
Hadid posted a picture of herself in the dress on Instagram, and while many comments reflect fans’ adoration of the model no matter what she wears, the top comment – with 1,826 likes – from user @2.hana.7 reads: ‘Bella I love you but what is this dress?’
A Reddit post featuring images of Hadid at the festival sparked a fiery debate, with many condemning the fashion choice as ‘cheap’ and an unsuccessful attempt at ‘shock value.’
User @tabxssum wrote: ‘I’m sorry I just find sheer dresses like these where you can see the boobs/everything but the nipple is so unprofessional/tacky for an event like the Cannes. It also looks so cheap.’
@DutchDidNothingWrong agreed, commenting: ‘Getting sick of famous people doing acts of exhibitionism at formal events.’
User @Perfect_Restaurant_4 put it plainly, writing: ‘Too much nips. I’d be so embarrassed to talk to her with all her boobs right there. Topless on a beach/around the pool fine, but not boobs out at a formal occasion.’
Others argued that baring it all makes stars seem desperate. @Felonious_Minx wrote: ‘I have the reflex to dislike “naked” type clothing right off the bat now because it is so common and screams desperation for attention.’
While some users did like the dress – @LadyHedgerton wrote: ‘Very intriguing look. The hair/eyes/earrings are giving me classic old money vibes, but the dress/heels/lip color screams modern. I like the play of the two together, and Bella looks stunning.’ – the overarching sentiment seemed to be negative.
Hadid has spoken out before about how it feels to face this kind of online criticism. She told Glamour ‘I’ll read 10 good comments and one awful comment—and still get down on myself about the one [negative].’
Later in the interview, when asked about freeing the nipple, she said: ‘I mean, my mom is European. My whole family is European.
‘We were always very comfortable with our bodies. It’s fine if you don’t want to show your body like that. But if a woman wants to show her body, I’m all for it. Everybody loves a little nip.’
Hadid isn’t the only celebrity to have faced negative feedback for freeing the nipple in recent months.
Olivia Wilde, for example, attended a fashion show earlier this year in a sheer look and was subsequently the subject of much online debate.
The Booksmart director, 39, who wore a sheer cut-out bodysuit with a smart cargo skirt, leather opera gloves, a choker, tinted aviator sunglasses and a statement belt, was targeted with comments on social media that range from critical to downright dehumanising.
In a 2021 interview with Vogue, Wilde was asked about a viral photo that she took while breastfeeding and whether she supports ‘freeing the nipple.’
Wilde responded: ‘Absolutely. It’s culturally specific because obviously in other countries there’s less of a fear of the nipple. I think that we can all really benefit from making sure that we don’t allow the stigmatisation of women’s bodies to infect our own perspective of ourself.’
She went on to call out society’s ‘puritanical perspective’ on women’s nipples, reflecting on how breastfeeding changed her relationship with her breasts.
She said: ‘If we are allowed opportunities to celebrate our body, it has an effect. It has an effect on how we treat one another and how we treat ourselves. I wish that in this country, we weren’t so terrified of women’s bodies in the way that we are and have this kind of puritanical perspective on nipples.’
She continued in the Vogue interview, saying: ‘I think it’s really silly. I’m someone who breastfed two kids and it’s funny [because] honestly, when you’re breastfeeding, you have a different relationship to your breasts and sort of the rest of the world.
‘And it’s really hilarious to kind of navigate this society’s fear of women’s bodies, even though without them, we honestly wouldn’t be here.’
What is the Free The Nipple movement?
Advocates for the #FreeTheNipple movement (a movement that began in 2012 in the lead-up to a film by the same name by filmmaker Lina Esco) argue that destigmatising and normalising non-cis-male breasts is a step towards an equal society in which men and women have the same amount of autonomy over their bodies and sexualities.
The movement (and its hashtag) was made famous by model Cara Delevingne in 2015 when she posted an Instagram photo of her own breast, censored, alongside an exposed male breast. The photo went viral, sparking discussion about the double standards applied to male and female bodies online.
The movement’s efforts paid off recently as Instagram and Facebook have announced that they may finally end their ban on the female nipple.
Meta, the parent company of both platforms, admitted: ‘The restrictions and exceptions to the rules on female nipples are extensive and confusing, particularly as they apply to transgender and non-binary people.’
It’s obvious that our culture has come a long way from the frenzied panic surrounding the infamous Janet Jackson nip slip during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show (fittingly known as #NippleGate).
But, while it’s unlikely that the incident would cause the same stir today, reactions to non-male celebrities exposing their chests remain almost as bizarrely puritanical as they were in the early noughties.
Florence Pugh chimed in on the free the nipple movement after she was cyberbullied and criticised for a sheer Valentino dress she wore in 2022.
When asked about the backlash by Vogue, Pugh questioned why a woman’s body simply existing causes such a stir.
‘I’ve never been scared of what’s underneath the fabric,’ Pugh said. ‘If I’m happy in it, then I’m gonna wear it.
‘Of course, I don’t want to offend people, but I think my point is: How can my nipples offend you that much?’
When asked if she’d continue freeing the nipple, she spoke out about how making a woman’s body taboo contributes to rape culture, saying: ‘It’s very important that we do this. I know that some people might scoff at me saying that, but if a dress with my breasts peeking through is encouraging people to say, “Well, if you were to get raped, you would deserve it,” it just shows me that there’s so much more work to do.’
But it seems the media storm surrounding Pugh’s fashion decision didn’t teach everyone a lesson, judging by the many negative comments about Hadid’s latest look.
Other social media users across platforms implied that Hadid’s outfit, and other similar sheer outfits worn by celebrities, denote a lack of self-respect.
Perhaps even more troublingly, one X user commented on the ‘order’ in which he’d take home a group of famous women pictured in an article about nipple-baring looks (including Wilde in the Saint Laurent outfit) for a ‘one night shag’.
It’s this kind of uninvited sexualisation of a woman’s body – which is never inherently sexual no matter how much of it is exposed – that Pugh was speaking out against.
For stars passionate about gender equality in Hollywood, this backlash is a big part of why continuing to dress however one sees fit is so important.
As long as sexist criticism about women’s bodies and style choices persists, culture-shifting stars like Pugh, Wilde, and Hadid are going to continue to free the nipple as an act of rebellion.
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James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
