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Hot New Trend: Going to the Club in Underwear Made of Gaff Tape (Yes, This is a Real Thing)

If you’re wondering what to wear for your next girls night out, forget heading to Westfield, go straight to the garage…

Gaff is the hot new item according to Instagram. Yes. Women all over the world are taping their lady-parts decent and heading to da Club in nothing more than some duct.

Think I’m kidding? I’m not. Here’s the facts –

  • Women are going to clubs and bars wearing nothing but a few strips of tape
  • You stick it on your skin in quirky and daring patterns to resemble underwear
  • The concept began with Joel Alvarez, a designer from Miami, who launched an ‘artistic’ venture called the Black Tape Project
  • The Black Tape Project has over 200,000 followers on Instagram 
  • This trend makes me glad to be almost 40 and completely un-fashionable 

As a mum it’s not unusual to find yourself feeling a little old and some what out of touch with the ‘young people’. Finally, it’s nice to find a fad that makes one actually feel happy to be at home on the couch, with a bag of chips, binge watching Orange is the New Black.

Admittedly, if I had that body and looked that hot in a few strategically placed pieces of black plastic, I’d probably wear that too… right after I finished removing every single hair from my body. Getting undressed from this get-up seems like removing a bandaid, on a whole new level…

(Side thought, I’d probably need some of that Bombay Sapphire recalled gin that was almost 100% alcohol to numb the pain..)

Thank you all for the love and support. #BlackTapeProject #art #tape #tapeart #bodytape #thekingoftape

A post shared by Tape art & alternative fashion (@blacktapeproject) on

Joel who founded the trend, describes his brainchild as an ‘exclusive fashion experiment’ – and it’s certainly catching on. I would describe Joel as a man who came up with a gimmicky way to get young women to head-out half-naked. And then have photos with him. His mates probably think he’s a legend. As a mother, I’m not so sure. But hey Joel, good for you. And kudos on your scissor skills, your preschool teacher is high-fiving herself right now.

@helendemuro #BlackTapeProject #art #tape #tapeart #bodytape #thekingoftape

A post shared by Tape art & alternative fashion (@blacktapeproject) on

Some women embracing the tape trend choose to give it a more “modest twist” (see my inverted commas there!?) They do this by wearing jeans and then decorating only their upper body with tape, whilst other ladies take the trend as far as they can with minimal strips of tape.

@sallyjordan09

A post shared by Tape art & alternative fashion (@blacktapeproject) on

If you’ve ever made an Easter hat for a kinder or a diorama of a medieval village for a year-three-project you’ve known the pain that is “craft“. Whether you approve of all the skin-flashing that The Black Tape Project entails or not, you’ll no doubt glance an admiring eye over the straight tape lines and symmetrical curves these girls can achieve with their sticky tape. Props to them for their high-level of workmanship. Even Martha Stewart would approve.

The Black Tape Project has over 200,000 followers on Instagram and is growing rapidly.

Here’s to being over thirty and at home with a wine on Friday night. Oh – and not wearing anything that requires a full body wax before hand. Who said getting old wasn’t awesome, right?

 

Avatar of Victoria Louis

Mother-of-two. Tea lover. Lego Ninja. Expert in carpet Play Dough extraction. Victoria Louis is a 30-something writer based in Sydney, NSW. A former marketing manager who loves to laugh there’s no topic she won’t explore. Victoria is full of opinion, big on kindness and believes the day is always better with a dash of lipstick.

6 Comments

  1. Avatar of Dana

    So, I have a question. Actually I have a lot of questions but one in particular… when you get undressed for bed, do you wake up covered in flannelette fibres in a pattern where the glue was all mucky on your skin?

  2. Avatar of Ernie Starr
    Ernie Starr Reply

    Actually most of under the tape is talc so only sticky where required. Also baby oil before shower before bed does the trick to get trid if the stick.

    Given that we were doing this 18 years ago its not particularly new

  3. Avatar of vayu

    Why not acknowledge diversity of style and fashion without criticizing it?

  4. Avatar of Linda-Jane Knowles
    Linda-Jane Knowles Reply

    Just no! Just cover up and stop showing your vagina and boobs (fake) to everyone.

  5. Avatar of Wethr

    That’s electrical tape. Not gaff tape. HUGE DIFFERENCE.
    Otherwise: I don’t care.

Reply To Linda-Jane Knowles Cancel Reply