It’s a typical Thursday morning in the marie claire office but the team group chat is overrun with conversation around Bianca Censori’s naked body. Yes, new photos of Censori’s body are circulating the internet… again.
The Australian model and wife of controversial rapper, Kanye West, shared three images to instagram in another barely-there outfit consisting of a fishnet top, sheer black stockings and nothing underneath.
Posed in a nondescript street, the former architect also donned dark sunglasses and point-toe pumps. There was no caption or context to the images, which only seemed to speak to the confusion unfolding in our aforementioned chat.
Each time Censori appears nude, we come back to the same question: what exactly is Censori (or Kanye) trying to achieve? Is there even a point? And why do we find it so unsettling?
The concern for Censori seems to stem from a myriad of places: internalised misogyny mixed with a healthy dose of scepticism, plus a genuine concern for her wellbeing that comes from our growing understanding of coercive control and abusive behaviour.
Could it be that Censori is just that comfortable in her skin? It’s difficult for many to fathom, and part of the reason many can’t stop talking about it.
One colleague argues it’s not the nudity but the lack of emotion in her expression. It only further begs the questions: Is it some form of performance art to her? Is it something more sinister?
Earlier this year Censori appeared at the Grammy Awards with husband, Kanye, wearing little more than a stocking.
It sparked the same series of questions and concerns for her welfare.
Following the public appearance, West shared screenshots of Google Trends data highlighting the search interest in his wife’s red carpet appearance. Search interest did in fact exceed 5 million queries, outranking all other terms surrounding the Grammy Awards that day.
This seemingly confirmed that Censori’s naked dress served as some kind of stunt. But with the nude appearances and photos continuing since, we’re left to wonder how long before that same stunt loses its shock factor?
Even more concerning, how much further will the duo push the boundaries when that element of shock wears thin with the public?
And, again, will we ever understand the motive? Judging by West and Censori’s actions so far, it seems unlikely.
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