Pasties

A woman wearing pasties at the beach

Neo-burlesque performer Miss Dirty Martini performing at the Copacabana with tasseled pasties

For other uses, see Pasty (disambiguation).

Pasties (sing. 'pastie'^{[citation needed]} or 'pasty') are adhesive coverings applied to cover a woman's nipples and areolae. Though pasties are commonly associated with burlesque and erotic entertainment, they are also at times worn as an undergarment and occasionally as beachwear.

Some women wear pasties when wearing a strapless or backless dress. Some women who choose to be braless may at times wear pasties. They may wear pasties so that their nipples and areolae are not visible through sheer clothing ^[1] or lingerie,^[2] or in case they experience a nipple erection. Some women wear pasties to avoid irritation of the nipples by rubbing against the fabric of the outer garment. When worn under clothing pasties are sometimes called breast petals. ^[2]

Pasties come in a variety of colors, diameters, and shapes.^[3] Though pasties come in a variety of sizes, they usually are not much larger than the areola. Pasties are usually applied with a special tape or glue fixative, often gum arabic. However, in some situations keeping pasties from falling off can be an issue, as can be their removal. Some women are allergic to some adhesives. Some pasties are for single-use, while others are washable and can be reused.

Pasties are occasionally worn on beaches to maximize a sun tan, short of being topless or nude, and avoid the strap lines which bikinis produce. [1] When worn on a beach they are sometimes called "strapless stick on bikinis."^{[citation needed]}

A sideless bikini bottom is sometimes worn to complement a pasties top outfit, however naturally there are variations. ^[4]

Entertainment

Pasties emerged in burlesque and striptease in the 1920s as a way to avoid breaking the law by performing topless. Pasties came to be regarded by some as more aesthetic and erotic.^[3] They were worn in cabarets such as the Folies Bergère and Le Lido. Burlesque performer Carrie Finnell is attributed with adding tassels which hang from the center and incorporating tassel twirling as part of a performance.^[5]

In parts of the United States, erotic dancers wear pasties in strip clubs to avoid prosecution under local public indecency laws. In extreme cases, liquid latex pasties are used to comply with local laws, raising criticism by strippers that lawmakers are engaging in cruelty by requiring use of adhesive material on the nipple.^[3] Pasties are worn by many neo-burlesque performers and are also found in night clubs, fetish parties and parades, such as Pride Parades.

See also

Fashion portal

• Nipple shield (jewelry)
• Nipple shield (breastfeeding)

References

Notes

1. ^ The Age: 15/2/10 - 2010 Allan Border Medal
2. ^ ^{a b} "Fashionable fake-outs". Sarah J. Gim. Stylelist.com. http://www.stylelist.com/blog/2006/10/03/fashionable-fake-outs/. Retrieved 2009-10-05. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Pasties". Bikini Science. http://www.bikiniscience.com/costumes/soutien-gorge_SS/pasties_S/pasties.html. Retrieved 2009-04-11. 
4. ^ "Strapless Bikini Sets". Pastease. http://www.pastease.com/strapless.php. Retrieved 2011-07-19. 
5. ^ Shteir, Rachel (2004). Striptease: The Untold Story of the Girlie Show. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195127501. 

External links

• Media related to Pasties at Wikimedia Commons