Hip-hop artist Kanye West and his wife, Australian architect Bianca Censori, have spent an intense, controversial vacation in Italy. The pair were photographed strolling the streets of Florence and Rome in outfits that were too extravagant by Italian standards, especially theirs, judging by the avalanche of criticism that included complaints and fines.
In recent days, the disgraced rapper, businessman and designer has been caught strolling barefoot around the Tuscan capital, a trend that has apparently become popular with American celebrities of late, who have decided not only to go on the street but also on stages and going out in red shoes without shoes on carpets. West appeared in a head-to-toe black outfit with part of his face covered head-to-toe in black clothing, and he was barefoot. Walking at his side was his new wife – although this marriage is not yet legal – wearing a pair of stockings and a low-cut shirt that appeared to be nude for optical effect. In pictures released by digital Whoopsee, the Chron and TMZ, the pair can be seen stopping at a kiosk for a drink and getting a snack from a vending machine. In the evening, in the same outfit, they go to a Florentine restaurant for dinner.
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These are the couple’s latest photos, but a few days earlier they had appeared in similar snaps, which aroused the ire of Italians who cracked down on Censori’s outfits: practically transparent jumpsuits, with no underwear or tiny chiffon shirts. Hundreds of social media users have lashed out at these outfits, which they consider “vulgar,” “disrespectful,” or “public indecency.” There are those who have described it as “awful taste,” “exhibitionism,” or “lack of respect.” Some media outlets have interpreted the latest images as a mockery in response to previous criticism. Many users, not only in Italy, have called on local authorities to punish Bianca Censori for her choice of wardrobe. Others even called for the couple to be banned from restaurants.
Nudism on public streets was a crime in Italy until 2016 and was punishable by imprisonment. Since then, walking the street with varying degrees of nudity has been considered an administrative offense and is punishable by fines of between 500 and 30,000 euros if it is considered an “obscene act in a public place” or a violation of the “indecency or good morals” of the observer . The fines can even be between 5,000 and 10,000 euros if it is an “act against good morals”. Things get complicated when there are minors in town, where nudism can be punished with prison terms of four to six months. However, recent jurisprudence on the issue of nudism is far more permissive than in the past. Recently, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party proposed amending the penal code so that walking around naked or “obscene acts in public” would again become a crime punishable by three months to six years in prison.
In that case, Censori would have to be fined, as many have been asking, by first officially reporting her and then having the city or judicial authorities review her case. It is currently not known whether there has actually been a complaint in this regard, but it seems rather unlikely.
Kanye West, 46, married 27-year-old Bianca Censori earlier this year just a few months after finalizing his messy divorce from Kim Kardashian, with whom he has four children. The couple held a private ceremony, which US media says has no legal validity because no marriage certificate was required. Censori grew up in Australia, where she completed her architecture degree, and moved to Los Angeles before starting work as a designer for the Yeezy team, Kanye West’s brand, in 2020. According to Italian media, the couple visited Florence with the intention of choosing fabrics for what is expected to be the new Yeezy collection. They then moved to Rome, where Kanye surprised everyone by taking the stage at his former brother-in-law and colleague Travis Scott’s concert at the Circus Maximus.