Kim Kardashian helped build the Kardashian empire brick by brick using one attention-grabbing “controversy” after another. And if you thought that’s going to stop in 2025, you have another thing coming — panties with faux pubic hair on the front, to be specific.
Skims is Kim’s main creative outlet these days. Described as a “shapewear” brand, it mostly focuses on athleisure in the style of Lululemon and other brands at that particular price point. What sets Skims apart — aside from her very chaotic ex-husband being behind some creative decisions early on — is that the brand doesn’t mind a little controversy to get the people going.
Skims is the same company that introduced the world to ideas like nipple bras and face wraps. If you have no idea what those things are — first of all, congratulations; second of all, it’s very much a see-it-to-believe-it scenario. A nipple bra is a bra that has faux nipples on the outer lining as a fashion statement.
This time, the company has decided to take fashion to its inevitable next frontier: faux pubic hair on the outer lining, yet another fashion statement. The provocative brand is making a play on words using taglines like “Does the carpet match the drapes?” and it’s attached to an ad campaign featuring a sleazy-looking 1970s game show called The Ultimate Bush.
The only surprising thing about this is that they didn’t have Sydney Sweeney lead the campaign. As to whether this is practical — that definitely depends on the individual. Social media certainly thinks it’s ridiculous, and as a marketing tool, that means the campaign worked, because people will at least visit the Skims website and browse their more practical alternatives.
When Pope Leo XIV was talking about the ills of clickbait, he was definitely talking about companies doing stunts like this. The sole purpose here is just to get your click. But you have to admit, sometimes the stunts end up being a little funny — even if the best jokes ultimately come from the people making the commentary instead of the company itself.
The real challenge here is how Skims can keep one-upping itself. Because unlike its competitors in the athleisure space — who just focus on brand ambassadorship and their products — Skims is focused on stunts. How long before they run out of ideas, or worse, actually do something that truly offends their customers’ tastes?
But right now, Skims is doing better than ever. They have collaborations with Nike, the NBA, and the WNBA. You simply can’t land these partnerships unless your product is of the highest quality. So perhaps they just needed that extra push to stay on everyone’s timeline. And besides, the more bizarre they act, the more alluring the brand becomes for the fashion community, which at least anecdotally seems to enjoy these types of shenanigans from brands.
Kim Kardashian will always be that one celebrity whose success is uniquely centered on her ability to be an attention magnet. That, ultimately, is her talent. She has it down to a science at this point. Never to be replicated.
