It’s time for media, fashion, and social platforms to stop turning the image of the schoolgirl into something ripe for adult consumption.

It seems strange to have to point this out, but given the cultural climate, it bears repeating: a girl in a school uniform is just that — a girl in a school uniform. She is not “jailbait.” She is not “asking for it.” She is not a nostalgic fantasy, a marketing opportunity, or a Halloween costume.

And yet, the sexualised schoolgirl remains one of pop culture’s most enduring tropes. Across film and fashion, music and social media, the aesthetic of adolescence is constantly polished and repackaged for adult appeal.

Britney Spears was just 17 when she wore that now-iconic school uniform in Baby One More Time, but the image has endured for decades, serving as both a pop legend and a cultural warning sign.

More recently, Kim Kardashian — ever attuned to a lucrative marketing moment — launched the new Skims Campus collection ahead of the “back to school” season. Think flannel pyjama pants, baby tees, tube socks, pom-poms, “novelty accessories,” and plenty of plaid. These are classic collegiate hallmarks, styled on what Skims exclaims are “real college students!” But the visual language of tiny shorts, cheerleader energy, and soft-focus sleepover vibes clearly suggests something more than cosy loungewear.

As a ’90s kid, I’m hardwired to respond to the aesthetic. It reminds me of the teen flicks we played at sleepovers: Jawbreaker, She’s All That, even Not Another Teen Movie — basically any film featuring Solo cups and 25-year-olds playing badly behaved teenagers. Today, it’s actual 18–21-year-olds fronting ad campaigns built on decades of male-gaze fantasy.

The Skims Campus collection — like the brand’s viral face wraps — will no doubt sell out. And to be clear: Kim Kardashian alone isn’t the problem. She’s a product of this system too. But when we continue to sexualise schoolgirls, we contribute to a culture that endangers them.

Why, in 2025, are we still so invested in dressing up adolescence for adult attention? Why, more than 70 years after Nabokov unleashed Lolita on the world, are we still so culturally obsessed with sexualising schoolgirls?

Hannah Nixon, a writer whose play LOLA explores similar themes, notes the dissonance between the book and the widespread social understanding of the relationship between Lolita and her abuser-stepfather Humbert Humbert: “She’s a child being sexually abused by her stepfather, and so it’s very indicative of society that the narrative of what happens to her has been turned on its head and turned into something that is about a teenage child — actually, she’s not even a teenager — having some sort of power sexually over a man.”

Evocative of Adrian Lyne’s 1997 adaptation of Lolita, a young, blonde Skims model is shown blowing bubblegum in a baby pink tube top and hot pants — the outfit also brings to mind early Britney or Christina Aguilera. Elsewhere in the campaign, another familiar porn trope appears: the “sexy secretary.” A young girl in thin-rimmed glasses poses with a pencil pursed between her lips, gazing seductively into the camera. This isn’t just playful branding — it’s a well-worn formula: stylised, infantilised, sexualised.

The sexualised schoolgirl has long been a fixture in the porn industry, too. “Teen” is the most-searched category on major porn platforms, and its impact is far-reaching. Research suggests that “barely legal” porn, while technically featuring adults, functions much like virtual depictions of minors by activating “youth‑focused sexual schemas,” which, over time, may contribute to emotional desensitisation and escalation to content that is more extreme or deviant.

Now, with the rise of AI-generated “schoolgirl” content, that exploitation is colliding with technology in terrifying new ways. Studies indicate the surge in AI-generated “barely legal” content can normalise and reinforce the sexual interest in minors, according to research by the National Library of Medicine.

Then there’s the world of online sex work, where the influencer economy meets pornography.

In the much-discussed documentary 1,000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story, the OnlyFans creator details her “Schoolies” strategy: showing up at Australia’s end-of-high-school party week and distributing business cards with QR codes to her account. She later toured university Freshers’ Weeks around the world, seeking out “barely legal” young men to film sex acts with.

More recently — and more disturbingly — Blue filmed a so-called “sex education” class, using visibly young-looking OnlyFans hopefuls dressed in school uniforms. As reported in the documentary, these young women — and young men — weren’t paid, but participated in hopes that Blue’s fame would boost their visibility and, in turn, their earnings. The classroom setting and uniforms weren’t just a backdrop — they were the entire product. They also serve to reinforce the damaging idea that schoolchildren, or any child for that matter, can somehow be complicit in their abuse.

In defending her content, Blue made a chilling point in an interview with Janice Turner for The Times: “Men have made porn content with schoolgirls since day one... no one has ever caused an uproar about that. So why can’t I do a schoolboy?”

It’s true that the cultural obsession with “barely legal” girls has rarely been met with sustained outrage. But that doesn’t mean it’s harmless. A concerning Harvard study showed that after prolonged exposure to pornography, viewers perceived rape as less serious, endorsed shorter prison terms for offenders, showed less empathy for victims, and developed greater sexual callousness toward women — even in scenarios involving minors.

When we glamourise schoolgirl imagery, whether in porn, fashion, or influencer content, we feed a system that trains girls to see themselves through the eyes of adults. We make them more vulnerable to grooming and harassment, and to self-objectification at younger and younger ages. We teach them that their value lies in their desirability.

Just this week, Lil Tay — the “Youngest Girl On OnlyFans” — claimed she made $3M in just three hours on the site mere hours into her 18th birthday. In the run-up to her milestone birthday, Lil Tay began promoting the fact she would be releasing the “youngest link of the century” (OnlyFans bans under-18s on the platform), with an “18th Birthday Countdown.” At 12:01, she began filming content and claims to have made $1M within three hours.

Dr Charlotte Ord, a psychologist and author of Body Confident You, Body Confident Kid, a guidebook for helping parents teach their children to develop a positive body image, is concerned about the impact of young viewers in the current media landscape. “Exposure to sexualising material at a young age, whether adult film or physical intimacy itself, would interrupt healthy psychosexual development in that way.” Ord says she is worried that viewers, particularly younger viewers, “might think that they have to emulate that kind of behaviour in order to get attention, to get on in life, or at the very least become completely desensitised [to] very extreme sexual behaviours.”

It’s a concern shared by the UK pornography taskforce, which has proposed banning “barely legal” content after Channel 4’s Bonnie Blue documentary. The show has reportedly accelerated the taskforce’s work and prompted calls for legislative change, aiming to close legal loopholes around “barely legal” themes and limit the normalisation of youth eroticisation both online and offline.

The UK government’s new Online Safety Act and emerging initiatives also signal a shift. As Ofcom prepares to enforce age-verification rules and restrict sexualised content that fetishises youthful aesthetics, we might finally be seeing a turning point in how our society defines protection versus permissiveness. It is long overdue.

When teenagers absorb the idea that being watched, desired, and consumed is part of coming of age, their self-worth becomes tethered to sexual validation. Glamourising the schoolgirl trope is not just playing dress-up, it has real-world consequences. It’s time to end the Lolita fantasy once and for all.

It’s been a bad week to be on the internet. Kim Kardashian’s Skims has launched a new line of shapewear… for your face. Sydney Sweeney fronted a controversial campaign for American Eagle, igniting debate about race and Western beauty standards. Then there’s Bonnie Blue’s latest documentary and the dark underbelly of sex as spectacle. Oh, and to add to the Black Mirror-ness of it all, Gwyneth Paltrow cosplayed as the new CEO of Astronomer, Donald Trump Jr shared an AI-generated image of Donald Trump in double denim parodying the aforementioned ad, and the White House released a deportation video captioned, “When ICE books you a one-way Jet2 holiday to deportation… Nothing beats it!” overlaid with the infamous Jess Glynne track.

So, what does all this tell us—aside from the fact we’re all going to hell in a handbasket? Though face shapewear, a woefully tone-deaf advert (if we’re being generous), and OnlyFans might seem unrelated, in many ways, they all point to the alarming direction social media is headed (hint: backwards).

Everywhere I look, signs point to the digital world—which once promised progress, self-expression, and democratised voices—paradoxically becoming an engine for reviving regressive beauty standards and reactionary politics. Far from liberating us from outdated norms, platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are now complicit in amplifying hyper-conservative aesthetics and ideologies that roll back decades of social progress.

This is all the more worrying when you consider that Gen Z is set to spend 25 years of their life on their phones. A new study, focused on phone use in education, revealed that usage was dominated by social media, messaging, and streaming. This aligns with research commissioned by Heineken, showing the average adult spends 5 hours and 48 minutes a day on their phones—that’s 88 days a year. By now, we’re well aware of the mental toll of doomscrolling and comparing our lives to the curated perfection of those we follow, but what’s emerging is far more insidious. Social media is fuelling a rise in real-world regressive politics and outdated beauty ideals.

There’s always the risk of looking back through rose-tinted glasses, but at one time, social media felt like a haven for body positivity and the rejection of narrow beauty ideals. Increasingly, however, the most viral beauty trends promote an uncanny return to ’90s thinness, Eurocentric features, and surgically enhanced femininity—often under the guise of “natural” beauty.

We’ve seen this in the rise of the “clean girl,” the “trad wife,” and the “hyper-feminine baddie” aesthetics, which glamourise highly curated looks that depend on wealth, whiteness, and conformity. Platforms reward visual content that fits an algorithmic mould of desirability. We should be worried about who is determining this matrix.

Glassy skin, tiny waists, big eyes, and symmetrical features dominate our feeds not because they are more common, but because they are more clickable. Beauty today is narrow, hierarchical, and increasingly retrograde. Sydney Sweeney is currently in the eye of this storm, not least because she conforms to these beauty standards. Of course, the fact that she’s been embraced by America’s right-wing is through no fault of her own. She’s simply the latest in a long line of All-American sweethearts. I assume this is in large part what attracted American Eagle to her, but it’s also what made the advert so disastrous.

For anyone lucky enough to have missed the media maelstrom: in American Eagle’s latest campaign, the camera zooms into Sweeney’s cleavage, bursting out of her denim two-piece, overlaid with a breathy audio: “My body’s composition is determined by my jeans (or is it genes)?” In another ad—no longer on social media—she reclines on a vintage Mustang, reciting inherited traits: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality, and even eye colour.” She continues: “My jeans are blue.” Defenders say it’s a hackneyed play on words; denouncers call it a dog whistle for white supremacists. The online discourse is deafening, so I won’t add fuel to that particular fire. Yet what seems undeniably true is that the return to so-called “traditional” beauty standards is now the dominant aesthetic.

Further proof? Another launch that sent the internet into a tailspin: Kim Kardashian’s Skims face shapewear, which the official press release describes as “a must-have addition to your nightly routine.” The backlash was swift: “SKIMS: Making women feel bad about themselves since 2018,” read one comment. “What in The Handmaid’s Tale am I looking at?” asked Michelle Elman. Alex Light, a body confidence coach, likened the “Ultimate Facewear” to post-surgical compression garments as well as the Scold’s bridle—a medieval torture device used to punish and humiliate (primarily) women deemed as “scolds” (women who spoke too much). The Kardashians do not act flippantly; they will go down in history as some of the most prolific and profitable marketers of all time (schools literally teach their methods). So I cannot imagine a world in which this product launch is anything but calculated.

It seems even in sleep, women are expected to self-optimise—the shapewear claims to sculpt your jaw while you sleep, though Harley Street Skin Clinic’s medical doctor Dr Nikita Desai says that at best, face wraps of this kind offer “temporary changes...and may help with de-puffing your face”. Desai also theorises that the design has taken inspiration from TikTok’s ‘morning shed’ trend, which promotes the idea “the uglier you sleep, the prettier you wake up.”

Skims’ shapewear doesn’t exist in isolation, it is part of a wider cultural shift that normalises weight-loss injections and promotes an AI-driven vision of homogeneous womanhood, argues Light.

Just as beauty ideals regress, so too do politics. This has played out in the “trad wife” phenomenon, where influencers like Hannah Neeleman, better known as Ballerina Farm, and Estee Williams, with huge social followings, espouse submissive roles, homemaking, and—in some cases—anti-feminist values. These creators often cloak their ideas in soft aesthetics and visions of domestic bliss, making the return to patriarchal norms feel less like oppression and more like personal choice. At the other end of this spectrum, Bonnie Blue also subscribes to this form of “choice feminism.”

The “choice feminism” narrative—the idea that any decision made by a woman is inherently feminist—blurs the line between agency and internalised oppression. Wearing face trainers, enjoying promiscuous sex, or embracing traditional gender roles isn’t inherently anti-feminist, but when these choices are made in environments where conformity is the price of visibility, they’re less about liberation and more about metrics.

This blend of nostalgia and performance is potent. Social media romanticises eras marked by rigid gender roles and systemic inequality, reframing them as times of simplicity and “natural order.” Users, especially younger ones, are often drawn to these aesthetics not for their historical accuracy but for the illusion of stability and meaning they provide in an age of uncertainty. That, to me, is worrying.

Of course, this isn’t the whole story. Many creators are using the same platforms to challenge these trends—amplifying inclusive beauty, dismantling gender norms, and pushing back against the romanticisation of oppressive pasts. Recognising the politics behind the aesthetics is the first step. Without it, we risk social media not only continuing to shape how we look but also what we believe. We’re all at the mercy of the algorithm, and in its current iteration, platforms that once promised a better vision of the future are turning into portals to the past.

Fashion collaborations are now so common, that it takes something truly standout to cut through the noise. Enter: Skims x Roberto Cavalli, the answer to your statement summer swimwear search—dropping online on 27th June. Think Skims' now-famous signature swimwear silhouettes, reimagined in three archival Cavalli prints: fagianella, light zebra, and tiger face. Each one is bold, eye-catching, and steeped in that unmistakable ‘Euro summer’ energy, channelling old-school Italian glamour.

Speaking of the collaboration, Kim Kardashian, co-founder and chief creative officer of Skims, says: "Unveiling such a luxurious collection with Roberto Cavalli is incredibly exciting. I’ve always admired the brand’s exotic prints and bold energy, and bringing that vision to life through Skims Swim allowed us to create something truly unexpected and elevated”.

SHOP SKIMS X ROBERTO CAVALLI NOW

Alongside mix-and-match bikinis and one-pieces, you’ll find chic kaftans, headscarves, sarongs, and a form-fitting ‘swim dress’—a midi style crafted from swimwear fabric (though we wouldn’t necessarily recommend taking a dip in it). And each piece is available in sizes XXS to 4X.

Unsurprisingly, since debuting the collection with a tongue-in-cheek, retro-inspired Italian holiday campaign—starring Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner, and shot by Nadia Lee Cohen—it’s been gaining a lot of attention. So, we predict certain pieces will sell out fast. If you’ve got your heart set on something, we suggest heading to the checkout faster than you can say ciao.

Shop Skims x Roberto Cavalli

When it comes to genius collection launches, Skims has the magic touch. And this latest campaign is no exception – the brand has tapped Irish actor Nicola Coughlan for the launch of their Soft Lounge collection.

Lensed by Elizaveta Porodina, the fashion photographer known for her conceptual and ethereal aesthetic, the painterly photographs capture the Bridgerton star wearing Skims' viral, form-fitting dresses.

Coughlan is known for roles in Derry Girls, Barbie, and, of course, Netflix's Regency-era series Bridgerton, in which she plays Penelope Featherington, aka Lady Whistledown.

'I’m so honoured to be in Skims' latest campaign! I’ve been a fan of Skims since the beginning. It’s been my on set lounging outfit since day one.' said Coughlan. 'I love that it’s a brand that makes everyone look and feel amazing.'

As for the Soft Lounge collection, it's full of super-soft, slinky pieces for wearing indoors and out. There are new styles, as well as the best-selling Long Slip Dress (aka the dress that broke the internet) and Long Sleeve Dress in fresh new summer shades.

We're all coveting the new pastel hues – perfect for styling with trainers for day and strappy sandals for evening. And of course, there are the soft heather greys and neutrals that form the foundation of every capsule wardrobe.

'Everyone knows I’ve been a huge fan of Nicola and Bridgerton since the beginning, so for her to star in our Soft Lounge campaign is a full circle moment!' said Kim Kardashian, Skims' Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer.

Shop Skims' Soft Lounge collection now at skims.com

Shop our edit:

The SKIMS Cyber Monday sale is here, and it's something I'm genuinely excited about, because Kim Kardashian's shapewear and underwear only goes on sale twice a year.

I first started wearing SKIMS when I got pregnant in 2021 as I wanted underwear that felt like a second skin but still looked nice, and I've worn nothing else since (I do still wear clothes on top, don't worry). Not many people are aware of this, but SKIMS even have a range of breastfeeding bras which I lived in for the first year postpartum. 

My love of SKIMS doesn't stop there either, I'm obsessed with the pyjamas and loungewear too. I can't fault the quality, and my sets are still going strong, however I'll be adding a few more to my wardrobe because I'm a busy mum who's not always on top of her washes. 

SKIMS - quick links

• SKIMS shapewear: up to 40% off shaping briefs, shorts and more
• SKIMS loungewear: up to 40% off hoodies,  sleep sets and more
• SKIMS bras: up to 40% off bra and bralettes
• SKIMS bodysuits: up to 50% off smoothing bodysuits, scoop neck bodysuits, one-shoulder bodysuits and more. 
• SKIMS clothing: up to 50% off dresses, tops, leggings and more

SKIMS Cyber Monday

The bi-annual sale covers everything from bestselling pieces such as sculpting shorts and seamless underwear to loungewear and essentials. This is one of the best sales I've seen so far, with styles discounted by as much as 50%. This is what I'm buying. 

Kim Kardashian SKIMS

SKIMS was founded by Kim Kardashian West in September 2019 to fill a gap in the market for size-inclusive (her line goes from XXS - 5X), comfortable and wearable shape enhancing undergarments, to slot into your everyday wardrobe. It now counts over 160 solution-focused options and loungewear pieces, including maternity wear.

We're obsessed with her latest launch, the silk collection, which is available in three colourways and is the most luxurious line yet. Here's what to add to your wishlist to hopefully buy in the SKIMS Black Friday sale.

Where to buy Skims shapewear

SKIMS launched in the UK in 2020. You are able to shop it online at Selfridges, as well as in its physical stores in London, Birmingham and Manchester. It is also available to buy at Net-A-Porter, and the SKIMS website now ships to the UK. The latter gives you access to the full range available in the US.

Cardi B likes SKIMS. A lot. "It’s so sexy and makes me feel snatched yet comfortable while hanging out at home," she says of Kim Kardashian's iconic underwear and loungewear brand, and I have to agree.

So it's perhaps no surprise that the Grammy Award winner is the face of the latest SKIMS campaign, showcasing the label's best-selling cotton collection.

"I’ve always loved the SKIMS Cotton Collection," she adds, "The new styles and colours I wore on set are even better, and I can’t wait to wear them all the time."

The set of images, shot by artist and photographer, Vanessa Beecroft, showcase the rapper in the cotton underwear, as well as athleisure and a cotton dress, in muted shades of cream and khaki.

The cotton collection is the most-tagged collection on social media, and this new drop features all-new branded waistbands, cuts, and colours.

Kim Kardashian is known for teaming up with impressive artists and entrepreneurs for her campaigns, putting an equal amount of spotlight on the women's success as she does her own collections.

 Cardi B is the first female artist to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album as a solo artist and the female rapper with the most number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. 

She also counts eight Billboard Music Awards, six American Music Awards, 14 BET Hip Hop Awards, and two ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award amongst her awards. 

The new collection drops on 19th October, but you can sign up to shop it below. 

Kim Kardashian’s Skims has gained a cult-like following in the fashion world with her sculpting shapewear featuring high on many stylists' and shopping editors' lists of items they cannot be without. Because let’s face it, while it may not be glamorous, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as the smoothing effect of hard-working shape wear especially when party season rolls around—and if there's one thing Skims is, it's hard-working.

As a self-proclaimed Skims lover, I’ve tried many pieces from the brand since their launch, with their sculpting bodysuit taking the top spot as my absolute favourite piece. But, while I may love it, it’s safe to say my bank balance wasn’t quite so happy. So, I delved into the world of inspired alternatives to find out if they could actually replace my beloved Skims. Enter The SHAPERX bodysuit, available from Amazon and lauded by TikTok as the best Skims bodysuit alternative.

Wondering which one came out on top? I put both to the test and here’s my honest comparison.

Best for sculpting: Skims

The most important point of comparison when it comes to shapewear is, of course, how well it does its job. While both bodysuits hug my curves and give an overall smoothing effect, there’s something about the way the Skims suit nips in at the waist that, for me, puts it in front.

On the other hand, both the Skims Everyday Sculpt Bodysuit and the SHAPERX Bodysuit feature stretchy cups that aren’t constricting on the chest area and adjustable straps for comfort. If you're deciding between the two, I'd suggest thinking about the look you want to achieve, if smoothing is your goal, SHAPERX does a great job but if you want that hourglass silhouette, I’d go for Skims.

Best for affordability: SHAPERX

The main reason I went on the quest for a great alternative was to save some extra money and when it comes to savings, SHAPERX delivers. While the Skims Bodysuit will set you back £68, SHAPERX’s iteration is just £29.99 (and it's currently on offer for Amazon Prime Day, too) making it less than half price. Move quickly however as it’s prone to selling out so if you happen to see it in stock, I'd snap it up quickly.

Best for skin tone options: Skims

One of Kim Kardashian’s main missions when creating Skims was to create a shapewear line that felt inclusive so it’s no wonder she comes out ahead of SHAPERX when it comes to skin tone matching colour ways. Skims' bodysuit is available in a commendable 10 shades while the SHAPERX suit is available in 5 neutral shades as well as non-skin tone options in the form of pink and blue.

As SHAPERX are designed to be worn as bodysuits as well as shapewear, I have to say the brighter colourways are a nice touch, but their skin tone shade range definitely needs expansion.

Best for size range: Both

When it comes to sizing both the Skims and SHAPERX body have you covered. The Skims Everyday Bodysuit is available in sizes XXS-4X while SHAPERX runs in broader sizing from XXS-XS - 4XL-5XL. With both brands, I’d suggest checking the measurements before ordering as they’re designed to fit on the snug size for the optimum sculpting ability. That means if you want a more comfortable fit, I'd definitely size up.

So, who comes out on top?

Overall, I'd say the Skims sculpting bodysuit comes out on top, mostly due to its unmatched sculpting effect. That’s not to say there isn’t a place for the SHAPERX version, however, and if you’re looking for an entry point into sculpting shapewear it’s definitely a great option.

Plus, with an extra 18% this Amazon Prime Day, you can treat yourself for a fraction of the cost of Skims, so what's not to love?

What is the viral TikTok bodysuit?

Gaining instant recognition amongst TikTok users, the SHAPERX Bodysuit has quickly established itself on social media as a great shapewear alternative that offers an inclusive size range, colour way offerings, and its impressive under £30 price point.

Do Skims bodysuits have built-in-bras?

Skims bodysuits have a built-in underwire bra that supports the bust by sculpting and lifting. Like Skims, the SHAPERX bra has a no-compression bra technology designed to suit all cups. Both bodysuits are comfortable enough to wear without a bra. However, the SHAPERX does not hold an underwire to support and sculpt.

If you've read our SKIMS review, then you'll know that we are huge fans of Kim Kardashian's brand. It has some of the best underwear and loungewear we have tried, with a range of designs and colourways available.

But it's not just the products that get people talking. If, like us, you're a fan of the brand, then you'll know that SKIMS is always creating incredible campaigns featuring some of our favourite celebrities. Recently, the brand launched its Valentine's Day collection featuring Simona Tabasco and Beatrice Grannò from The White Lotus, and it's safe to say that fans went wild.

Kim Kardashian shows no signs of slowing down, as today the new face of SKIMS has been announced, and this time the brand has gone down the musical route.

That's right, it's none other than Grammy-award winning artist, SZA. Starring in the brand's Fits Everybody campaign, SZA can be seen wearing SKIMS' hero collection of buttery-soft underwear that's designed for every body.

It seems that the star is just as elated as we are about the news. "I’m excited to be in SKIMS' latest Fits Everybody underwear campaign and to align myself with a brand that strives to make women feel both comfortable and sexy," shared SZA.

The global artist has many attributes that SKIMS believe reflect its community. Determination, diversity and distinctive talent are just some words that come to mind, not to mention her ability to open up and resonate with millions of people through her music. 

"SZA’s honesty, confidence, and dynamic energy are unparalleled. She’s truly the woman of the moment, and I’m so honoured for her to be featured in SKIMS’ latest campaign," shares Kim Kardashian. 

The brand are scaling the Fits Everybody collection into nine sizes and nine core colourways, allowing customers to find the right fit. Keep on scrolling to shop some of our top picks from the collection.

When Kim Kardashian's Skims shapewear finally launched in the UK, there was much excitement. The range of bodysuits, bras, knickers and loungewear already had rave reviews in the US, alongside reasonable prices (a bodysuit costs £66) and inclusive sizes (XXs to 4XL). So I was keen to see whether it was all worth the hype.

At the time of writing, I'd been trying Skims underwear for about a year and was almost eight months pregnant, so it's safe to say Skims had seen me through multiple body changes. Here is my honest Skims review. 

How good are Skims?

In all honesty, Skims underwear is the most comfortable I own, and I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said I wore it on average five days of the week out of seven - I obviously have several styles that I wash! This goes for both pre and during pregnancy. I have not tried the shapewear, focusing on underwear only (the loungewear is super comfy too). Skims promise everything from "technically constructed shapewear that enhances your curves to underwear that stretches to twice its size." The brand says, its "goal is to consistently innovate on the past and advance our industry for the future."

I don't know what the technology is, but it's doing something right. I've always hated constrictive underwear with padding and underwire, and you don't get any of that with Skims. The buttery fabrics feel like a second skin, though 'feel' is the wrong word as you totally forget it's there once on. My favourite bra style is the triangle bralette, though the scoop neck bra is a close second. I am normally a 32B, now a 32C and the bra offers plenty of support for me.

I'm not a thong fan, but have tried the brand's selection and found that I didn't mind it as much as other thongs, since the fabric hugs your curves without feeling restrictive. That said, I do prefer the coverage of the cheeky underwear and briefs. They stretch to fit you, without falling into the sheer trap, and of course, the skin colourways make them perfect for wearing under light-coloured clothes such as white dresses.

I've obviously now washed all of my Skims underwear, and it's not really budged at all, neither in colour or size. All in all, a massive thumbs up for me.

Do Skims run true to size?

I would say that Skims runs true to size. Pre-pregnancy, I was a UK size 6 to 8, and so wore the underwear in a size S. Throughout pregnancy, my hips have gotten wider and my breasts slightly bigger, so I've gone up a size for both bras and knickers, opting for M, which works for me. Obviously, if your breasts grown bigger than a cup size or two, then you may want to size up again.

Skims maternity

Skims pregnancy shapewear is designed to change with your body during and after pregnancy. The collection includes maternity tights and bodysuits featuring non-compressive cores for a growing bump.

I personally tried the supportive nursing bra and the high-waist brief, the latter of which hugged my bump without compressing it, basically just an extension of the briefs in the rest of the collection.

As for the bra, I obviously haven't started breastfeeding yet, but can attest to its comfort. It's specially designed for leak protection and features front clasps that open and close for convenient feeding, plus an inside elastic strap for shoulder stability.

You can shop Skims directly on the brand's website or at Selfridges, but before you do that make sure to check out our Selfridges Marie Claire vouchers for discount codes. 

Kim Kardashian has proved she is a force to be reckoned with.

From her KKW Beauty and fragrance line, to her SKIMS brand, as well as focusing on her career as a lawyer, while filming the new tell all show The Kardashians in replace of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and juggling motherhood, she has a lot on her plate.

Throw into the mix a new collection with her shapewear label. We just don't know how she does it.

Kim, 41, has revealed she has been working on a swimwear line for SKIMS, which she co-founded in 2019, and it is set to be released on Friday 18 March.

The mogul announced the exciting news on her Instagram and Twitter, alongside a string of campaign images of her on the beach modelling cut out swimsuits, as well as a variety of two piece bikini sets.

She captioned the post: "You've asked, we've listened @SKIMS SWIM launches this Friday, March 18 at 9AM PT."

The upcoming drop will boast 19 mix and match styles, all of which will come in seven colours; from the brand's signature neutral hues, as well as cobalt and periwinkle blue.

The collection will include skimpy sets, as well as sporty designs, such as t-shirt bikini separates, and bikini shorts, so there is something for everyone to feel comfortable while on the beach.

The line will be available to shop in XXXS to 4X, and will retail from approximately £28 up to £80.

But Kim - who has North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm with estranged husband Kanye West - has revealed she has wanted to release a swimwear line for "a really long time", but has remained tight lipped for a while so not to give too much away.

Speaking to the Business of Fashion, Kim said: "I even had to stop tagging [Skims], I do want there to be a nice element of surprise for it. I've really wanted swim for a really long time."

Kim co-founded SKIMS in 2019, and over the last three years the brand has come from strength to strength, as it has expanded from shapewear to loungewear, as well as pyjamas, and now swimwear, and is available in major UK stockists, such as Selfridges.