“My wife is the most Googled person on the planet called Earth,” Kanye West (now known as Ye) declared on Instagram after his wife, Australian Bianca Censori, wore an invisible dress a the Grammy Awards earlier this week.
Watching Censori remove a large black robe to stand in a sheer see-through dress next to a fully clothed West in front of the world’s media is uncomfortable viewing.
Not because of what Censori reveals, but rather because of West’s behaviour during the Red Carpet moment.
Also uncomfortable is hearing the paparazzi and comments from reporters, “Kanye and Bianca!” they swoon. “Bianca, Bianca!” There are laughs and comments such as “Bianca sweetheart, look ahead!”
West appears to be issuing orders. Censori gives a look of unease. West takes a serious face, watching as his wife derobes, as if to show off his prize to the cameras. Censori hesitates again. West gives a smile as one reporters shouts, “Yeah, that’s X rated!”. Censori never smiles.
Days later after much talk about the “fashion” moment, it’s clear West got what he wanted: attention.
But West didn’t do the work to get such attention. His wife did, and it’s hard to look behind the massive power imbalance between the two and the public communication that occurred in full views of the cameras.
West has also declared that he and Censori “beat the Grammys!” with the term “Bianca Censori Grammys” receiving millions of google search term results, well ahead of Grammy award winners including Chappel Roan.
West didn’t win a Grammy. West wasn’t performing at the Grammys and reportedly had no interest in actually attending the ceremony beyond the Red Carpet. West wasn’t wearing anything particularly interesting or groundbreaking.
But he entered the event on a mission to garner the world’s attention by standing alongside his wife, as she did the work in revealing almost everything in front of the world’s media.
It was Censori who was accused of indecent exposure. It was Censori who has been the subject of the line of appropriateness in fashion, and Censori who reporters hypothothised could be criminally charged for the move. Nobody asked what West’s family would think, plenty raised such questions for Censori.
Achieving top billing in the global online attention wars — if only for a moment — is a monumental feat, given the constant race for it from celebrities, commentators and presidents.
The online conversation quickly moved on from Censors, of course. To another scandal, briefly to a natural disaster and then to the latest Trump plans to colonise a different part of the planet.
But what about Censori, beyond what she was wearing? What about those who witnessed what could be coercive control in full public view? What about the photographers and the journalists who participated and didn’t raise questions?
What about the young men who watched, believing this is aspirational behaviour? What about the young women who watched and sighted what appeared to be discomfort from Censori, and might believe such feelings are par for the course of a relationship or for having a moment in the spotlight?
Censori is typically referred to as an “Australian model” in the world’s media. She’s much more. She grew up in Melbourne, was reportedly close with her family, and studied architecture at the University of Melbourne. She later ran a jewellery business and worked for Yeezy, West’s fashion brand, as a designer.
Censori married West in early 2023 and has been making controversial clothing appearances alongside her husband ever since. West is 47, Censori is 30.
She is now very rarely seen in public without her husband.
Censori doesn’t speak about the outfits beyond a few words and laughs. She rarely smiles in public. There are plenty of photos prior to her relationship with West indicating Censori loves to party and enjoys being with friends. She also wears revealing outfits, which some claim is evidence enough that she is on board with the dynamics of her relationship with West.
We can’t make assumptions as to whether or not Censori is being pressured by West, perhaps she enjoys the attention as much as he does. My hope is that she’s happy, safe and secure in her relationship and in full control of how she appears in public. But as things stand, we can’t be 100 per cent sure or confirm that she is.