In just one more sign of the stripperization of the Everywoman, Benefit’s Benetint, conceived in the seventies for an exotic dancer to color lips and cheeks, is now also being sold at Sephora and elsewhere as a “kiss-proof and water-resistant” nipple tint. “Women want nipples to be pert and fresh-looking, and this shade makes them appear that way,” Benefit spokeswoman Alison Haljun says. “For a long time, the idea of a ripe, rosy nipple has been considered appealing and alluring.’’ But aren’t the nipples usually undisplayed? “Even if you don’t show it off, you know they’re rosier and more perky,” she says. Sonia Ossorio, president of NOW in New York, says, “I can barely keep up with keeping my nails manicured, much less this nauseating onslaught of new beauty standards. While women are spending their energy, time, and money getting their areolas just the right shade of pink, the Supreme Court is getting more conservative and closer to taking away our long-fought right to reproductive choice.”

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Related:

• Archive: “Intelligencer”
• Articles by Beth Landman
• Table of Contents: March 12, 2007 issue of New York | Subscribe!