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FEMINISM

‘Why would I wear a bra?’ Zara Larsson doesn’t care you can see her nipple

Sweden's pop icon Zara Larsson has hit back after social media users commented that they could see her nipple through her white shirt in a photo she posted of herself on Instagram.

Published: 10 January 2017 11:55 CET
'Why would I wear a bra?' Zara Larsson doesn't care you can see her nipple
Zara Larsson performing at the MTV European Music Awards in Rotterdam. Photo: AP Photo/Peter Dejong

Only 19 years old, Sweden's newest pop export Zara Larsson is riding high on a wave of global fame, working on the official song for the Uefa European Championship last summer and taking home two prestigious gongs at the 2016 MTV European Music Awards at the end of the year.

She has also made a name for herself as an outspoken feminist, and when some of her social media followers pointed out that she had fallen victim to a 'nip slip', she answered in typically confident style.

“I know you can see my nipple? One thing I don't know tho is why people are so upset about shit like that. If a nipple fascinates you that much, bend down your chin a lil and look at your own,” she hit back in a post on Instagram, next to the picture in question, of her in a white shirt.

Larsson is not the first celebrity whose nipples have caused debate in the past year.

Tennis player Serena Williams responded to Wimbledon viewers complaining this summer that her top was so sheer it distracted them from her performance in the court by posting an even more revealing picture of herself online. TV star Kim Kardashian meanwhile simply told her critics that she did “not give a fuck”.

Larsson too went on to show that she would not be held hostage by body shaming.

“And why would I ever wear a bra when my tits are hella good and don't need support from no bra. They're independent and strong,” she wrote in her Instagram post.

It is not the first time Larsson has caused a stir on social media. But last year she revealed in an interview that most of it stays online, with some of her attackers even coming up to her to apologize in person.

“I've never met anyone who says things face to face. I've even had guys come up to me saying 'sorry, you blocked me on Instagram and Twitter'. I said 'what had you said?', because I've blocked so many, I don't remember. People take unbelievable liberties on the internet, just because it's the internet – nobody can see me here,” she told DN at the time.

Born in Stockholm, Larsson had her first breakthrough singing 'My Heart Will Go On' on a Swedish talent show in 2008. Her first biggest international hit was 'Lush Life'.

TAMPONS

Two German men face backlash over ‘Pinky’ period glove product

Two German men who came up with a pink glove to help women dispose of tampons have sparked a backlash on social media, with critics panning the product as useless and sexist.

Published: 14 April 2021 18:14 CEST
Two German men face backlash over 'Pinky' period glove product
A tampon being displayed after its manufacturer. Photo: DPA

At a menstrual cramp-inducing €11.96 for a pack of 48, the Pinky is a plastic glove that doubles as a disposal bag to provide a “discreet solution for pads and tampons”, according to the product website.

Andre Ritterswuerden and Eugen Raimkulow, who met in the army, presented their product on Monday on the German version of the Dragons’ Den TV show where inventors pitch to potential investors, drawing €30,000 from an entrepreneur.

But the two men quickly found themselves facing a slew of disparaging comments on social media, with the hashtag #PinkyGate trending on Twitter on Wednesday.

“We both really do understand women,” Raimkulow said on the TV show, basing their qualifications on both being married and having lived with women in flat shares.

Occasionally, he would “dare to look in the rubbish bin”, he said.

“After a while it just smells unpleasant. And you can see it, because it starts seeping through the paper.”

READ ALSO: Tampon tax: Why menstral products are set to become cheaper in Germany

“Every day there is another useless product for the vagina,” tweeted Canadian-American gynaecologist Jennifer Gunter, author of The Vagina Bible. “I need to throw (the book) at these idiots,” she said.

Even the conservative daily Die Welt waded in, pointing out that plastic gloves and disposal bags can already be bought for a fraction of the price — albeit in other colours.

“Is this a real invention? No,” it said. “It is no surprise that there are no women behind the Pinky but two men, who have no experience of using sanitary products.”

Ritterswuerden and Eugen Raimkulow published a video on Wednesday addressing the criticism.

“In no way did we mean to suggest that menstruation is something disgusting,” they said, adding: “We realise that we have not fully taken on board different views on the subject.”

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