Move over, Janet Jackson — and all others infamously known for wardrobe malfunctions. These controversial exposures of the body are nothing compared to the reveals now commonly seen in the trendiest of places — the runway.

For years, the layered use of light, sheer fabrics such as chiffon have been a wonderful stamp of elegance and luxury in fashion. Today, these pieces are instead acting as a single, sheer, skin-baring layer. From Dolce & Gabbana to Marios Schwab and Ann Demeulemeester to Gucci, this trend has hit the runways hard, and more models’ chests and rears are displayed in every show.

The most classic manifestation of this trend was seen at Tom Ford and Giorgio Armani, with a sheer blouse worn under a blazer, while others like Burberry Prorsum featured a sophistocated but daring revealing lace skirt.

While sheer fabrics usually breathe an air of sophisticated beauty, their new use juxtapo-ses this very nature. Is this new angle catching on? Street wear so often takes its cues from none other than the runway, and the runway has spoken. The combination of class with a hard edge is evidently popular now on models, but others may feel differently.

“I think very few people will actually want to follow this trend,” LS freshman Leopoldo Gracia said.

Many have expressed the belief that aspects of the fashion world are treated as reality, when they should be separate from real social norms. With issues of weight, race and nudity, some see that standards need to be specifically divided between fashion and reality. Others view the fashion world as an influential catalyst and an initiator for better social movements in terms of self-imaging.

“I think the fashion industry could be the perfect place for [this] to start, but it has to be a full revolution … completely edgy, rebellious and fierce … not cute, prissy clothes that say, ‘Oh, this is sheer. This is lace.’ To show a bold, empowering woman, it has to say, ‘I’m wearing this, and I don’t give a damn,’ ” LS freshman Alex Tartt said.

These attitudes could pose a realistic view of the future for street wear especially with women being able to bare their chests in public. The order by the NYPD to not arrest women exposing their breasts is a huge step in the way of feminism and was originally brought to light in the 1992 case of The People v. Santorelli and Schloss. The oversexualization and objectification of the female body makes the discussion of modesty so important.

Alex Tartt continued her opinions on these social implications.

“If you brand this trend in [a feminist] way, then it would totally make sense as being empowering, but the way women are portrayed in the media is so negative that I feel like you would have to make a purpose to say that that’s what you’re doing,” Tartt said, “because when you look at images [in the media] they’re already so overly sexual, so who’s going to draw that feminist conclusion from it?”

As the culture eases up on compulsory modesty, who will see this as a step in the right direction? Our generation, as bearers of the latest social standards, must be willing to begin the newest portion of our social legacy by challenging the past. The fashion world is just the beginning, and it’s a crucial start. With these conditions, ready-to-wear and the world we live in could take a leap of faith and indeed become the barest of them all.

David Bologna is a staff writer. Email him at [email protected].