Everyone is talking about Kim Kardashian’s new SKIMS underwear and it’s every bit as exhausting as you probably think it is! There’s pubic hair and of course a bit of good old fashioned social media sensationalism in there for good measure. (If there’s one thing this woman has down pat, it’s mastering the online rage cycles that whip around her carefully manicured brand.) But, yes, SKIMS has a brand-new product called the “Faux Hair Micro String Thong.” Essentially, a thong with simulated pubic hair on the outside for everyone to gawk at online.
SKIMS has been merciful enough to extend us more of an explanation as well. They bill the “Faux Hair Micro String Thong” as: “our most daring panty yet. Hand-made in a super sheer, stretch mesh, this string thong features a mix of curly and straight faux hair in twelve different shade variations. Complete with elastic side straps. Fits true to size.”
Okay, have we all taken a breath yet? Let’s dive right into the bit of cheeky business. The only reason Kardashian’s company would make a product like this is for the inherent attention it brings her brand. Think about it, when was the last time you thought about SKIMS since it launched. (Sorry to all my sports girlies and anyone with an acute interest in shapewear, because I know you exist!) Seriously, we go through these exact kinds of product cycles in fashion quite often now as a part of social media supercharging people’s need to have a take on every single thing that rolls across their phone screens.
SKIMS strange pubic hair panties are part of a larger trend
Like we mentioned above, social media has been flush with engagement bait for about a decade and some change now. Once things moved to an algorithmic model of consumption, some users correctly realized that the easiest way to get attention is to do things that the algorithm would single out as “interesting.” So, that’s how we get to arguing about $200 dates and what women bring to the table in relationships every week. The same well springs forth with constant nostalgia reminders about movies and music from previous years, even on strange anniversaries, too.
This latest SKIMS release fits neatly within to this framework. People are not going to talk about mostly neutral-toned activewear and underwear. But, if we weave some faux hair in there? Now, we’re cooking with gas. Add in a pinch of how weird human beings can be about sexuality in the year 2025, and you’ve got an impressive stew going.
Going viral as the only thing that matters
More than anything else in the recent history of social media fashion stunts, I find myself thinking about MSCHF’s “Big Red Boots.” Folks will remember the goofy, definitely not Astro Boy-inspired, red shoes that doubled as a marketing angle to help put MSCHF on the map for the normie contingent online. They talked to ArtReview about virality, and I feel like they might have a great read on our digital climate.
MSCHF said, “Having something go viral is never an end in and of itself. It’s a tool that you can aim towards to spread. Certain projects need a big enough audience for them to work…”
I find that their later thoughts on the matter have a better grasp on where we are, largely speaking. They argued, “People online trying to go viral, just to go viral, will do any stupid thing to achieve that goal. As a goal it is not a good goal.”
(Photo Credit: SKIMS/Hulu)
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