Known in the late 1890’s as a “bosom ring” the popularity of nipple piercings has ebbed and flowed for decades. Isabella of Bavaria, Queen of France, was the first woman known to have pierced her “little apples of paradise” in the 14th century, with diamonds connected by chains of gold and pearl. Boujee. Over the last ten years, pop culture girlies like Bella Hadid, Rihanna and Keke Palmer have been spotted with the adornment.

The piercing — once considered “alternative” or “punk” — was fully catapulted to popularity in 2015 by Kylie Jenner, who shared a photo of hers popping through a lavender shirt to Instagram. Then her older sister, Kendall, had hers done too. It was a #freethenip resurgence spearheaded by reality TV royalty.

Cut to 2025, and the Jenners’ older sister and businesswoman Kim Kardashian seemingly just caught up to the trend. The 44-year-old made headlines in May after being spotted leaving a friend’s home in Los Angeles with new nipple piercings visible beneath her black T-shirt. But wait, things weren’t all as they seemed. These were faux piercings, attached to the entrepreneur’s new Skims pierced nipple push up bra: “Our sexiest bra gets even hotter with a faux nipple piercing design so you can get the ‘Ooo’ without the ouch!”

It was genius. Because, as Kardashian knows, despite being a massive faff and sometimes taking between a year and six months to heal, nipple piercings are still majorly popular — increasingly so. Glasgow piercer Emma Blair, who works at Astrid & Miyu and Mortez Piercing, tells Grazia she’s doing three to four pairs of nipple piercings a week — a “massive increase” on the numbers she saw when she first started piercing five years ago.

“People are discovering them a lot more now as a means of claiming their feminine identity,” she says. “They’re really important in that respect. They help people feel so much more empowered and confident — rather than just being a trend or something faddy just for fashion. I think we’re going to see a lot more of them coming up in the next couple of years. I don’t think it’ll die out quickly.”

Although Blaire wouldn’t wear a Skims nipple bra herself, she acknowledges their use for women who’re unable to get piercings done due to their anatomy (such as, inverted nipples) or can’t undergo the procedure following surgery, including a mastectomy. “It’s also good for someone who doesn’t want to commit to the process of having a piercing done. It’s quite an invasive process,” she adds of the piercing, which involves your nipple being placed in a clamp before it’s speared by a needle. The aftermath is, obviously, pain, with many people finding their nipples bleed for a week afterwards. They then go crusty and need regular cleaning. “It takes a long time to heal” admits Blaire of the months-long ordeal.

Yet, people are doing it anyway. “I’ve seen a lot of people coming in to get them done after going through abusive relationships or sickness and used [the piercing] to claim themselves back again and feel strong, empowered and fierce,” Blaire explains. “They’re definitely more than just a trend.”

Blaire warns that if you’re considering getting your nipples pierced it’s important to remember that — even though it’s in fashion right now — it’s a significant body modification. “It’s still something extreme you’re putting your body through,” she says. “It’s not a quick process for some people; It’s a labour of love trying to get them to heal. Some have to do many different things: downsizes [of jewelry], upsizes…like troubleshooting. It’s not necessarily one and done or an easy process…although, for others, it’s the easiest piercing they’ve ever had.” She explains: “It’s totally up to the person’s autonomy, immune system, how they look after them.”

If you’re not willing to roll the dice, Kardashian’s (£80!) bra suddenly looks a whole lot more appealing than months of suffering. Who knows, perhaps the Skims millionaire watched her sisters struggle with healing theirs and was put off taking the plunge, leading to her 2025 pierced nipple invention. It would check out. Right?

Either way, fans were buzzing when the bra, with its perky appearance from teardrop foam pads and concealed underwire, came to market last month. The bustier’s piercings are removable, so you can wear one, both, or none, depending on your vibe that day. “I actually love this because I’ve always wanted this look but I would never put myself through the pain of it,” one person gushed. “Why are you so smart, Kimmie?” another social media user asked. “Wish this existed 10 years ago before I got mine pierced lol,” one fan mourned. Meanwhile, a fourth person celebrated: “YESSSSSS LETS GOOO, for all my low pain tolerance girlies!!!” Let’s go, indeed.