What’s Wrong With A Braless Kendall Jenner?

Breaking news (not): A model walked in a semi-exposed state on a runway for Fashion Week. Why is this something people are talking about? Because the model is Kendall Jenner of Jenner-Kardashian fame, and because there's nothing the Internet loves more than yelling about a young woman's breasts. Twitter was rife with comments about how she needs to "cover up." Khloe Kardashian already did plenty of defending here, but we'd like to note a few things.

First of all, she is an adult. She is an 18-year-old, and she made this choice legally and on her own. She is interested in being a fashion model, and if that's your goal, walking in a Marc Jacobs show is a huge opportunity. That doesn't mean she should do something she's uncomfortable with in order to walk, but it does mean that this is a strategic and totally defensible career decision that many, many models have made before her. They didn't get so much, shall we say, feedback about it because they're not famous.

Second of all, this in no way reflects on her "sluttiness" or even her taste in clothing. If she didn't wear this look, another model would. This look fits in with the collection perfectly; it's representative of Jacobs' vision, and it's actually a lot less scandalous than other looks that have appeared on his, and on other designers', runways in the past. (Jacobs in particular likes to evoke the topless feminine form in his shows.) If you have a problem with this kind of semi-nudity on the runway or in public in any capacity, that is fine, but take it up with the industry at large — not the models who do what they're paid to do.

And, lastly: If we want to get mad about unjust things happening to young girls in the fashion world, this is the very last thing that needs to be addressed. Perhaps, instead, we can talk about working conditions for underage models on shoots, teenaged girls being transported all around the world sans supervision and living one on top of the other in model apartments, or the widespread tendency to pull girls out of high school on the promise of a bright future in fashion. Or, perhaps, the unfortunate crossover between modeling and sex trafficking (in some countries). Or, the problematic flow of Eastern European girls to American and Western European fashion hubs, away from any kind of familial support, as though they were just another product for import/export. These are things we should be concerned about. Not one pair of consensually exposed nipples on a reality star.