Others, in a wide age range, have joined her in a nipple-revealing cavalcade: the French actress Isabelle Huppert, who, at age 68, is the latest face of Balenciaga, Jennifer Aniston (53), Heather Graham (52), Kim Kardashian (41—another Balenciaga model), Ann Hathaway (39), Zoë Kravitz (33), Kristin Stewart and Jennifer Lawrence (both 31), Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid (both 26), and Bella Hadid (25). It’s not hard to identify with one or more of the above. We touched on this throughout the article, but it bears repeating: While most of this stuff is perfectly normal and not cause for concern, there are exceptions. Here are some signs you should talk to your healthcare provider about your nipples or areolas, according to the Mayo Clinic:

In more recent times, women have participated in feminist actions like Free the Nipple, a gender equality movement that launched in 2012 following the filming of Lina Esco's 2014-released documentary of the same name. And now, women are using opportunities of all kinds to campaign for the causes that matter most to them, including music festivals like Governors Ball. That said, let’s talk about times when it might be a sign of something else. If it's coming out of both breasts, or happens when you squeeze the nipple, it could be due to something benign (meaning noncancerous) such as certain medications or herbs (like fennel), an injury, inflammation clogging the breast ducts, or an infection. In some cases, discharge can signal thyroid disease or be a sign of breast cancer. If the discharge is painful, bloody or green in hue, head to the doctor ASAP, Gaither suggests. For those who dare to embrace the thrill of liberation, an open bra awaits, its tantalizing straps and intricate details inviting exploration and igniting the flames of passion.Make no mistake. In this Coronavirus Year Three, we’re still—if not so steadfastly–on the alert. Witness the somber, mannish, oversize, protective pants suits that are all the rage. Witness as well all the hoods and balaclavas, even as the weather warms up. And the continuing sales of molded, padded, modesty-invoking T-shirt bras. “They are still strong–for reason of eliminating nipple display,” says Gale Epstein, co-founder and creative director of Hanky Panky. Nonetheless, after all the quarantining, the cowering inside, the rampant sanitizing, and the armoring with face masks, we are gradually emerging from the coronavirus. So little wonder that unmistakable tokens of body-conscious sensuality are cropping up. Consider all the revealing ribcage and thigh cutouts, the cold-shoulder tops, the increasingly larger rips and holes in jeans, the midriff baring, and the cleavage-displays at the insides, outsides, and lower curves of the breasts–not to mention the occasional but very visible rear-end decollates. Cut out bra' is an umbrella term that can be used to describe a wide variety of different bra styles. In the context of shelf bras, open cup bras, and other more revealing styles, cut out bras generally refer to bras that feature a hole cut out to reveal part of your breast. Cut out bras vary in the amount of skin they show. Some of these bras include cutouts that bare your nipples, while others reveal a large portion of your breast but keep your nipples covered. Regardless, these cut out bras are designed to be sexy and scandalous and make great additions to any lingerie look. Then there are the others–who like (or at least don’t mind) their nipples showing through. “Women shop for bras for different reasons. They want their bras to do something. I always think, I want my bra to work for me.”So says Bonnie Abrams, Vice President of Marketing, Content, and Creative at Red Ventures, the media company that owns Lonely Planet, CNET, ZDNet, TV Guide, Metacritic, Chowhound, and other brands. Abrams definitely sees the nipple-reveal resurgence, not least in young girls “looking for sheer, mesh, and lace,” as a reason to shop for lightweight bras. With young guys now wearing what has traditionally been seen as womenswear, as well as non-specific and gender-free clothes (and makeup too), those assigned the female sex at birth are suddenly feeling the need to parade that identity. How better to accomplish that than by displaying their protruding nipples? We seeing a lot of plain mesh bras—they’re resurgent,” says the designer Maddie Kulig of Madelynne Intimates, which sells its own ready-mades and offers instructional classes and supplies. Mesh of course was available in the past, “but now it’s super-supportive.” Several brands Kulig mentions are Cuup, “for its basic underwire styles,” Parade—”with awesome sheers in fun colors,” Dora Larsen, “also for its pops of color,” and Wolford, “for its advanced fabric technology”. But honestly, most unlined and even lined woven and jersey bras can also show nipples (depending on the weather and level of arousal). For instance, with the Negative Underwear styles that I own, see-through is achieved not only via its semi-sheer nylon-Spandex Sieve Underwire Bra, but also with its micromodal Whipped Triangle Bra.

If your nipples are sensitive to the point where it’s painful, see the doctor. This could be a sign of breast cancer or mastitis, infection of the breast. 6. You’ve got hair on your nips. Really, it’s fine. “[ Hair around the nipples] is generally linked to hormonal changes,” says Gaither. “Secondary to puberty, pregnancy, menstruation or menopause, birth control pills may also stimulate hair growth there,” she says. So a few strands shouldn’t freak you out. These provide uplift while leaving the nipples and tops of the breasts exposed. They’re idea for those who seek to raise their breast visibility but are unwilling to go braless. The sheer number of different types of bras that exist on the current lingerie and undergarment market is hugely overwhelming. Among all types of bras, there are few less confusing than the semi-cup bra styles. These styles, which include shelf bras, open shelf bras, balconette bras, open cup bras, cut out bras, half bras or cupless bra and quarter cup bra, all have slightly different designs and functions. Many people struggle to understand the unique purpose of each of these bra styles and the boundary lines between them, which can make shopping for a semi-cup bra extremely frustrating. If you’re not pregnant or breastfeeding, it’s best to see your health provider if you notice discharge of any type just to make sure nothing is going on. 5. Your nipples are really sensitive—or not sensitive at all.

9. You have an extra nipple.

If you’ve ever found yourself googling something “weird” you’ve noticed about your nipples (like “bumps on nipple” or “third nipple”), you’re not alone. There is so much variation when it comes to nipples—like the look, shape, texture, color, and size—that you’ve likely wondered at least once whether or not yours are “normal.”

Quite frankly, my whole thing with nipples is that everybody has them. So why it's such a big deal for females to expose them is beyond me. Nonetheless, I'm all for freeing the nipple at festivals. They're here to nourish babies one day, if I should choose. If not they're just there and they look good," Janyssa Miller, a 21-year-old from Long Island, told Newsweek at the festival Saturday. The Open Tip Bullet Bra hails an earlier era while not engaging in 1950s innocence. It looks just like one of the bras that a poodle skirt-wearing woman may wear with one important difference: the open tip allows the nipples to peek out.

7. There are little bumps on your nipples and areolas—known as Montgomery glands, FYI.

Indulge in the allure of a longline bra, its delicate straps tracing the contours of your body, igniting a fire within that only grows with every touch. A 2013 study in The Journal of Human Lactation found that over the course of pregnancy, women’s nipples got about 20 percent longer and 17 percent wider, while the whole areola widened anywhere from half a centimeter to 1.8 centimeters. Discharge is also common—specifically, the clear, milky kind, that progresses in its opacity throughout the gestational period. 9. You have an extra nipple. It’s put a dent in T-shirt bra sales and made breast naturalness acceptable. (Lower-slung breasts are also looking good … but that’s another story.) Not surprisingly, Azaleas, a lingerie shop in New York’s East Village—a hotbed of new fashion trends–sells no molded bras at all. In fact, most it its bras are unlined.