Fashion Editor Alice Keegan looks at the ‘naked dress’ - is it a tool of female empowerment, a bold move of liberation? Or is it bending to the male gaze?
Just in the past few weeks, countless celebrities have graced the red carpet wearing next to nothing. Attending prestigious award shows such as the Golden Globes, Grammys, and the Oscars in barely-there designs is a bold move, championed by so many celebrities, from Cher to Charli XCX.
When Marilyn Monroe sang ‘happy birthday’ to JFK, all one could see was diamonds sparkling in the light, there was no indication that the actress was wearing anything underneath. Other pioneers from the twentieth century include Cher, Madonna, and Elizabeth Hurley. Both Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian wore show-stopping sheer gowns to the 2015 Met Gala. In Perhaps the most famous look of her career, Rihanna wore a sparkling Adam Selman gown to the 2014 CFDA dress, complete with strategically-placed sequins.
Usually involving mesh and lace, cut outs and an immense amount of trust, the naked dress can be daring, fierce and in the case of Rihanna, dazzling. It can also be interpreted as a powerful message, even an integral part of the recent ‘free the nipple’ movement, advocating for gender equality by challenging the stigma surrounding female sexuality.
The ‘free the nipple’ movement highlighted double standards and brought attention to heightened objectification of female and non-binary bodies. Challenging oppressive societal norms through proudly bearing all, the movement was a welcome rejection of shame surrounding women’s bodies, allowing them to reclaim bodily autonomy and achieve agency over their style. The naked dress has proven to be an important part of all this.
However, since Bianca Censori, model and wife of the ever-controversial Kanye West stepped onto the Grammys red carpet in a piece of completely sheer fabric, completely naked underneath, and clearly incredibly uncomfortable, we have been forced to acknowledge the darker side to the trend, and must seriously question its legitimacy as a force for rejecting the male gaze.
when it falls into the wrong hands, the ‘naked dress’, with all its strategic cut-outs and barely-there material can quickly become insidious, indicative of abuses of power and control
Undoubtedly, when worn willingly, the naked dress can be a statement of self-expression and liberation - a defiant stance against patriarchal tendencies. Megan Fox, when she wore a diaphanous Mugler dress to the MTV VMAs in 2022 may have inspired many to take corsets and negligees out from their underwear drawers for daily wear (a la Rachel Green in Friends). However, it can quickly be manipulated as a message of ownership and power, as a weapon of objectification, functioning purely for the male-gaze, and causing discomfort (and trauma) for the wearer.
According to fashion historian Shelby Ivey Christie “In the present, naked dressing is often seen as a statement of confidence and empowerment.” Boundary-pushing, scandal-causing and history-making, the naked dress is an enigma, whether it’s worn by Clara Bow, Jane Birkin, or Kate Moss. Yes, it may be a source of empowerment, part of a wider movement of female emancipation, but when it falls into the wrong hands, the ‘naked dress’, with all its strategic cut-outs and barely-there material can quickly become insidious, indicative of abuses of power and control. One thing is clear: we should look for a little more transparency when it comes to transparent clothing.