It revolutionary to see Britney Spears in 2001, donning tiny bright pink bikini bottoms over low-slung metallic green flared. Pop culture was shocked by the pop star’s attire in the sensual, sweaty music video for “I’m a Slave 4 U.”
Like everything from Y2K, the bare thong is back in style. However,
in the contemporary version of this 2000s look, celebrities have been seen going out fully nude, leaving nothing but their underwear on display. At Saint Laurent’s spring 2023 presentation, where a third of the styles featured transparent or semi-sheer skirts with only a pair of briefs underneath, the trend began to take off. Additionally noticeable is the impact of Miu Miu’s most recent collections, particularlyFrom more eccentric dressers like Julia Fox to mainstays of haute couture like Anya Taylor-Joy and Janelle Monáe, the mania has taken hold o
f everyone. In a chainmail Bottega Veneta gown with only a pair of Hanky Pankys on underneath, Dua Lipa celebrated the release of Barbie; Florence Pugh attended the Valentino show with her thigh gaping; and Irina Shayk attended the Cannes Film Festival wearing a thong and a bra branded by Gucci.The rise to lingerie domination was a gradual process. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, a fashion historian, claims that the pattern has been developing for decades. A visible bra strap, slip, or panty line used to be considered a fashion faux pas, according to her. “When Kate Moss wore a sheer dress over briefs in the 1990s and Madonna wore underwear as outerwear in the 1980s, it was scandalous.” But “visible thongs and bra tops had become more mainstream by the early 2000s.” She claims that since then, the public has only become “more desensitized, which is why designers keep changing it up,” resulting in the blatantly provocative clothing that is currently in style. According to Chrisman-Campbell, the reason this look has remained popular among celebrities over time is because “it’s eye candy, guaranteeing that the wearer will be noticed and photographed.” And gaining attention is crucial, particularly in the ever-changing media world of today. The need for celebrity content has never been greater than it is now, over 20 years after Spears first writhed over our TV screens, and even the sexiest fashion moments are finding it harder to penetrate through the digital clutter. 
So celebrities are dressing increasingly racially to go viral and get even more free press in an effort to beat the algorithm and control the news cycle.branding, adds Morgan. “If you’re perceived as conservative, this is a simple method to
As a result of the numerous PR benefits of this style of clothing and the general lack of public outcry surrounding it, Chrisman-Campbell predicts that celebrity fashion will only become more and more naked going forward. According to her explanation, “the pendulum cycles from naked to covered up, and then back” traditionally. More “highly embellished or structured versions of the naked dress,” on the other hand, have emerged in recent years, embracing both styles at once.
Furthermore, Morgan doesn’t see these translucent dresses being popular outside of the A-list very soon, even if fully exposed thongs are currently all the rage in Hollywood. “Don’t most of us just want to stay in our underwear, you know?”