Kanye West & Bianca Censori’s Red Carpet Moment: Empowerment or Expl0itation?

Kanye West showed up to the Grammys’ red carpet with his wife Bianca Censori wearing what is being called “the invisible dress.” Every part of her body was on display for the world to see.

 I couldn’t sleep last night after seeing the footage -something was chilling about it. It hit home because I know what it feels like to be on public display- fully seen by strangers and yet completely unknown. That was my daily life working in str!p clubs under the control of a p!mp. 

There’s this moment before she exposes herself where she is draped in a fur coat. He leans in and says something I wish we had a lip reader to decipher. There is something about his posturing and demeanor that feels looming. She appears to say “no”. Soon after, she drops the coat to unveil her nude frame. 

He stands with his arms behind his back, watching his wife on display for public consumption.

This image of him stands in stark contrast to the chivalrous trope of a man swiftly draping his jacket over the shoulders of a woman who finds herself exposed. 

He looms in the background, observing closely, as she experiences a moment that many people have nightmares about – public nudity. 

I would like to think this is an act of agency and empowerment- but her five-mile stare tells me otherwise. There does not appear to be any spark of joy or life in her eyes – only what appears to be vacancy and detachment. Maybe even dissociation?

I obviously do not know her or her story, but watching this unfold, my Spidey senses were going off on high alert.

I don’t believe this is about fashion. It’s about gender, agency, and power.

The juxtaposition of their “outfits” is noteworthy. He is fully clothed, in all black, while she is laid bare. 

This brings up important, social questions. Who gets to be clothed? Who does not?

Could you EVER, in a million years, picture Kanye West walking down the red carpet in a completely sheer outfit with every single inch of his body exposed? While his wife stood by fully clothed, watching her husband on display in such a vulnerable way?

That would never happen.

But we are desensitized to the sexualization and objectification of women. It is normalized in our society.

I can only imagine the outrage that would occur if the roles would have been reversed. But in the world we live in, They would never be reversed. 

Empowerment or Exploitation?

The definition of sexual exploitation is using the attractiveness or sexuality of another person for your own personal gain. 

It begs the question who benefits from this moment? Kanye? Or Bianca?

We don’t know a lot about their relationship from her perspective. But the social media post that Kanye made after the Grammys is telling about his perspective.

He stated….

”My wife is the most googled woman on the planet called Earth.” 

It is interesting that he does not say her name. “My wife, Bianca.” 

He does not say anything else to humanize her. 

He says, “My wife.”

This is about power, but it’s also about belonging. She belongs to him.

The question remains, does she still belong to herself? 

I truly hope she does. I truly hope this was an act of autonomy and agency. 

For those of us who have experienced ab-se in public, the ab-se itself is painful, but it is even more painful to know that people stood by watching, but did not do or say anything to intervene.  

I do not know Bianca and I cannot reach out to see if she is okay. 

But I cannot stand by and do nothing. The least I can do is say, 

Bianca, there are a lot of us who are concerned for you. And I truly hope that you are operating with a sense of agency. And if you are not, I hope that you will find the support you need to regain your autonomy.