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Pasties

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This article is about the nipple covering. For other uses, see Pasty (disambiguation).
Swiss artist Milo Moiré performs, wearing pasties and a cut-out bra top, 2016

Pasties (singular pasty or pastie) are patches that cover a person's nipples and areolae, typically self-adhesive or affixed with adhesive. They originated as part of burlesque shows, providing a commercial form of bare-breasted entertainment. They are also worn as an undergarment in lieu of a bra, or visibly as a fashion accessory,[1] and are sometimes called nipple stickers.[2] Pasties are also, at times, worn as beachwear, by strippers and other erotic entertainers, or as a form of protest during women's rights events such as Go Topless Day. In some cases this is to avoid potential prosecution under indecency laws.

Pasties are sometimes worn by bikini baristas, staff hired to serve coffee from roadside huts while wearing lingerie, thongs, or skimpy swimwear.[3]

Design

A demonstrator protesting for equal rights for women, wearing a pastie in the form of a nipple, 2011

Pasties come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes,[4] typically not much larger than the areola. They are traditionally applied using a special tape or glue fixative, often gum arabic. However, in some situations keeping pasties from falling off can be an issue, as can be their removal. Some people are allergic to some adhesives or pastie material. Due to this, most high quality pasties are made of the hypoallergenic polymer silicone and use special adhesives to reduce the chances of an allergic reaction.[5] The availability of suitable adhesives was a necessary precursor to their introduction, and their name derives from the word paste. Modern pasties are often self-adhesive.[1] Some are for single-use, while others are washable and can be reused.

Pasties are sometimes worn with a sideless bikini bottom such as a C-string held by an internal flexible frame. Alternatively a vulva cover, commonly known as a merkin pastie, can be attached with adhesive.[6] These pasties for the genitalia are known as maebari in Japanese.

Entertainment

Early versions of the pastie were worn by belly dancers and exotic performers at the 1893 World's Fair. These consisted of small metal plates covering the front of the breasts, and were often decorated with gems or metallic details where the nipples would be. They were subsequently worn by some circus performers during their acts.[7]

The modern form of the pastie first appeared in burlesque and striptease in the 1920s as a way to avoid breaking the law by performing topless or nude. Pasties came to be regarded by some as more aesthetic and erotic.[4] They were worn in cabarets such as the Folies Bergère and Le Lido. Burlesque performer Carrie Finnell is attributed with adding tassels which hang from the center and incorporating tassel twirling as part of a performance.[8] Finnell and Sally Rand rose to prominence as burlesque performers in the 1920s and 1930s. At that time there was a shift away from pasties decorated with tassels or gems toward nipple-like pasties, making the appearance of nudity more realistic. The burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee included pasties as part of her onstage outfit in the 1930s and 1940s, and made adjusting them part of her act.[7] Dancers in US strip clubs continued to wear pasties in the 1950s and 1960s, with Carol Doda becoming the first fully topless public dancer in the country at the Condor Club in San Francisco in 1964.[9] The use of pasties in burlesque and striptease declined during the subsequent decades, but they became fashionable again with the appearance of neo-burlesque in the 1990s and 2000s, worn by performers such as Jo Weldon and Dita Von Teese.[7]

The punk rock singer Wendy O. Williams who performed during the 1970s and 1980s often wore electrical tape on stage to cover her nipples.[10] In the 2010s the heavy metal band Butcher Babies briefly copied the look.[11] In the 2014 short film Miley Cyrus: Tongue Tied the singer appears with her nipples concealed under black crosses made of nipple tape.[12]

In parts of the United States, erotic dancers wear pasties in strip clubs to avoid prosecution under local public indecency laws. In extreme cases, liquid latex pasties are used to comply with local laws, raising criticism by strippers that lawmakers are engaging in cruelty by requiring use of adhesive material on the nipple.[4] Such restrictions generally applied in Chicago until Chicago City Council changed the city's liquor license statutes in 2020, removing references to gender. Women working in the city's topless-only restaurants and strip clubs are no longer required to affix pasties or use other latex coverings on their breasts.[13]

Pasties are also worn at music festivals,[7] in night clubs, and at fetish parties and parades, such as pride parades.

Pasties were and may still be worn by some actresses while filming an otherwise apparently topless or nude scene, which is not caught by the camera angle.

Underwear

Pasties are sometimes worn under clothes instead of a bra.[1] Alternatively, two crossed strips of adhesive tape can be used as an impromptu pastie to cover each nipple.[14] Using pasties in this way can be practical when wearing a strapless or backless dress. It can prevent the nipples and areolae being visible through sheer clothing[15] or lingerie,[16] and it can hide a nipple erection.

Swimwear

In the 1960s, fashion designers created the trikini, a bikini variant consisting of pasties and briefs.[17] The combination of pasties with a matching maebari-style bottom is known as a strapless micro-bikini[18] or no-string bikini.[19][20] Pasties are occasionally worn on beaches to maximize a sun tan by avoiding the strap lines produced by bikinis, without the need for toplessness.

Fashion

As part of the fashion trend called underwear as outerwear, pasties are sometimes worn as a visible part of an outfit, typically in metallic colours rather than flesh tones.[1] Fashion designers such as Tom Ford and Anthony Vaccarello have incorporated them into their collections.[7] Pasties have been worn in this way by the model and actor Cara Delevingne, the model Bella Hadid, and the pop star Doja Cat.[1] Other celebrities that have worn them include Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Janet Jackson, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Cher, Britney Spears and Lil' Kim.[7]

Athletes

Runners, surfers, and other outdoor athletes may experience fissure of the nipple, a chafing irritation caused by friction with clothing such as a T-shirt. The condition is colloquially known as "runner's nipple". Some people wear pasties to cover the nipple and avoid or mitigate the irritation. When worn under clothing, pasties are sometimes called breast petals, nipple covers or nipple guards.[21][22]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Bramley, Ellie Violet (1 June 2022). "Breast in show! How nipple pasties went from underwear to outerwear". The Guardian. UK.
  2. ^ "Kiwi actress Rebecca Gibney on Jennifer Aniston's Allure cover: 'I know I'm sexy' at 57". New Zealand Herald. 14 November 2022.
  3. ^ Rock, Lucy (7 February 2018). "'Bikini baristas' in Washington are told to cover up – is it an issue of free speech?". The Guardian. UK.
  4. ^ a b c "Pasties". Bikini Science. Archived from the original on 2009-04-03. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
  5. ^ "The Best Nipple Covers, Pasties and Petals Reviewed - Best Pasties". Best Pasties. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
  6. ^ "Merkin Pasties, Pastease Strapless Bikini Vagina Covers". Pastease. Retrieved 2011-07-19.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Steinfeld, Sara (11 May 2017). "How Nipple Pasties Evolved From Circus Staple to Coachella Chic". Allure.
  8. ^ Shteir, Rachel (2004). Striptease: The Untold Story of the Girlie Show. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-512750-8.
  9. ^ Donchey, Sara (19 November 2022). "Pioneering topless nightclub named a San Francisco 'Legacy Business'". CBS News. San Francisco.
  10. ^ Swanson, Dave (18 January 2016). "40 Years Ago: Wendy O. Williams Arrested For Obscenity". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  11. ^ jomatami (8 August 2021). "Butcher Babies Speak on 'Regret' Over Wearing Nipple Tape, Explain Meaning of Band's Name". Ultimate Guitar.
  12. ^ "Miley Cyrus Naked: Singer Strips Off Yet Again In Flesh-Flashing 'Tongue-Tied' Video Clip". Huffington Post. 2 May 2014.
  13. ^ Byrne, John (9 September 2020). "Aldermen approve measure that will allow more nudity in Chicago bars". Chicago Tribune.
  14. ^ Graham-Jones, Lindsey (22 March 2022). "How Do I Keep My Nipples from Showing Through My Clothing?". Brit + Co.
  15. ^ "The Age: 15/2/10 - 2010 Allan Border Medal". Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  16. ^ "Fashionable fake-outs". Sarah J. Gim. Stylelist.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  17. ^ Ambrose, Gavin; Harris, Paul (2007). The Visual Dictionary of Fashion Design. AVA Publishing. p. 180. ISBN 9782940373611.
  18. ^ "Pastease Strapless Micro-Bikini". Pastease (retail website). Australia. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  19. ^ "Look Ma', No Strings!". Bikini. Micro (blog). 8 January 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  20. ^ "No String Bikini gallery". The Bikinis (retail website). Archived from the original on 20 June 2013.
  21. ^ Mailler, E.; Adams, B. (2004). "The Wear and Tear of 26.2: Dermatological Injuries Reported on Marathon Day". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 38 (4). BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine: 498–501. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2004.011874. PMC 1724877. PMID 15273194. S2CID 29112101.
  22. ^ "Silicone Nipple Covers: Reviews & Recommendations". Best Nipple Covers.
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