pasties

A woman wearing pasties at the beach.

Pasties (sing. 'pastie'^{[citation needed]} or 'pasty') are adhesive coverings applied to cover a person's nipples and/or vulva. They vary in size, but are usually not much larger than the areola. Pasties are usually applied with a special tape or glue fixative, often gum arabic. This is the origin of their name, as they are quite literally "pasted" onto the body part.

Pasties emerged as a way to censor views of the nipple following the introduction of toplessness in theater; conversely they emerged in burlesque and striptease as a way to reveal as much of the breast as possible without being entirely topless. Their form-factor was established by 1930 and includes a variety of colors, diameters, and shapes.^[1] Burlesque performer Carrie Finnell is attributed with adding tassels which hang from the center and incorporating tassel twirling as part of a performance.^[2] In parts of the United States erotic dancers wear pasties in strip clubs to comply with laws against full toplessness; these range from pasties which cover the areola, to band-aids which are wrapped only around the nipples. Pasties covering the vulva followed nipple pasties completing the two pieces usual in bikinis and similar outfits, thus also receiving the name of strapless bikini.

Pasties are worn by many neo-burlesque performers and are also found in night clubs, fetish parties, parades, and occasionally the beach. Some women who choose not to wear a bra wear pasties to prevent their nipples from protruding visibly through their shirt.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pasties

• Nipple shield (jewelry)
• Nipple shield (breastfeeding)
• Breast petal

References