In a world where Ye’s (formerly Kanye West) every move is subject to intense scrutiny, news of his alleged split from Bianca Censori after two years of marriage has once again placed the polarizing artist in the spotlight. Known for his unpredictable behavior, controversial statements, and boundary-pushing creative vision, the 47-year-old’s relationships have long fascinated the public. However, beneath the sensational headlines lies a deeper exploration of control, fashion, and performance art that extends far beyond the surface of his personal life.
Before delving into his relationship with Censori, it’s essential to revisit Kanye’s previous high-profile marriage to Kim Kardashian, which lasted from 2014 to 2021. Kardashian, already a media sensation before meeting Ye, experienced a major image haul during their relationship. Kanye, who had already cemented his place as one of the most influential rappers and producers of the 21st century, was equally known for his impact on the fashion industry. His influence over Kardashian’s style was unmistakable, and through his guidance, she transitioned from her signature glamour to a more avant-garde, high-fashion aesthetic.
Ye’s industry connections also played a significant role in boosting Kardashian’s presence in the fashion world. His relationships with key figures in high fashion helped the aspiring lawyer and businesswoman land her first-ever Vogue cover in 2014, a milestone that marked her shift from reality TV star to legitimate fashion icon. This was a pivotal moment not only for Kardashian but for Ye as well, showcasing his influence and ability to reshape public perceptions and open doors for her in elite circles that had initially resisted her presence. However, while some viewed Kanye’s influence as elevating her, others saw it as controlling.
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Throughout their marriage, the Power rapper was often credited—and sometimes criticized—for reinventing the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star’s public image. He was said to have made his ex-wife cry after emptying out her entire closet and filling it with his own picks. While this was framed by some as an artistic collaboration between husband and wife, others questioned whether Kanye’s involvement crossed the line into control. Was Kardashian merely a muse or did she have agency over her own transformation?
This dynamic speaks to a broader societal issue: Why do we often view women in the public eye, particularly those paired with powerful men, as lacking agency over their decisions—especially when it comes to their appearance? The scrutiny placed on Kardashian’s evolving style highlights how women’s clothing choices are often viewed through a lens of dependency, as though their fashion decisions can only be attributed to the men in their lives. This also reflects a troubling cultural pattern in which women’s autonomy is diminished when their choices, particularly regarding appearance, are seen as influenced by their male partners.
This brings us to Kanye’s relationship with Censori, which has unfolded under similar public speculation. Censori, an Australian architect who worked for Kanye’s Yeezy brand, became a focal point of media attention when she started dating the Grammy-winning rapper in 2022. Immediately, comparisons between Censori and Kardashian were rampant. Both women share physical similarities—dark hair, curvy figures, and striking features—but beyond these surface-level parallels, the narrative of Ye’s control over his partners’ appearances persisted.
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Since her relationship with Kanye became public, Censori has allegedly undergone a dramatic style transformation, with her fashion choices shifting toward the provocative, avant-garde, and very minimalistic. Many attribute this change to Ye’s influence, much like his role in curating Kardashian’s look during their marriage. Yet, these assumptions about Kanye’s control over Censori reduce her agency, framing her as a passive participant in a dynamic that may be far more nuanced. Is she truly being molded into Kanye’s vision, or is she, like Kardashian before her, an active participant?
It’s worth noting that, in many public appearances next to Censori, Ye is often covered head-to-toe, with his face sometimes concealed behind masks or other obscuring garments (someone on X once dubbed them a “reverse Muslim couple” lol). However, no one questions Kanye’s agency or whether he is being “oppressed” by these choices. In fact, his covered appearance is seen as a deliberate, artistic statement, a part of his boundary-pushing fashion provocations.
This starkly contrasts with the assumptions made about Muslim women who dress similarly, often covering most of their bodies or concealing their faces. Western audiences frequently project ideas of oppression and lack of autonomy onto them, without considering the individual reasons and agency behind their choices. The irony is striking—when Kanye covers himself, it’s seen as a deliberate act of artistic expression, but when Muslim women dress in similar ways, their autonomy is questioned. Furthermore, in Kanye’s case, it’s not his covered body that draws scrutiny; it’s often the woman by his side who is scantily clad, like Censori, who is seen as lacking power and control.
This brings us to how women’s clothing is used as a marker of status—particularly in terms of freedom or oppression. In Western cultures, there’s a pervasive belief that revealing clothing equates to empowerment, while modest dress, especially for Muslim women, is often viewed as a sign of oppression. This binary view is problematic, erasing the complexity of individual choices and cultural contexts that influence how women dress. The assumption that covering up automatically signals a lack of freedom oversimplifies the diverse reasons women might choose to do so, whether for religious, cultural, or personal reasons.
Western audiences, for instance, frequently perceive Muslim women who wear the hijab or abaya as lacking agency, projecting their own cultural values onto these women without considering the personal autonomy that can accompany such choices. This reflects a larger issue of cultural misunderstanding, in which women’s autonomy is only recognized when it aligns with Western ideals of freedom—ideals that often equate minimal clothing with liberation.
However, this raises an important question: Do women in the West also lack agency in their fashion choices? Many women conform to societal or cultural norms that emphasize empowerment through revealing clothing, but who defines what is empowering? And who benefits from this narrative? In many cases, it’s the fashion industry, media, and patriarchal structures that profit from promoting the idea that women’s power lies in their physical appearance. This concept often places women in a double bind— they are either judged for revealing too much or criticized for covering too much. The focus remains on their bodies, reinforcing the idea that their value is tied to how they present themselves, rather than their skills, intellect, or autonomy.
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Why, then, is women’s clothing so often reduced to discussions of modesty versus immodesty, while rarely being considered in terms of utility? Unlike men’s fashion, which is often celebrated for its functionality, women’s clothing is frequently scrutinized through the lens of aesthetics and sexualization. Take handbags, for example. Far from being just a luxury accessory, handbags serve an essential practical function, carrying everyday necessities. Yet, they are often trivialized as feminine frivolities, while men’s fashion accessories, like tailored suits, are seen as utilitarian despite their origins as status symbols for the wealthy.
Women’s clothing is rarely discussed in terms of practicality, even though many of the items they wear serve crucial everyday purposes. Instead, the conversation surrounding women’s fashion often focuses on how much or how little is being revealed, a simplification that ignores the complex interplay between personal choice, cultural norms, and functionality.
In the case of both Kardashian and Censori, this public scrutiny of their fashion choices reflects how society continues to view women’s appearances through a narrow lens of control and agency. While Kanye is often seen as the mastermind behind these transformations, his own fashion provocations are interpreted as intentional, meaningful, and artistic. The women’s clothing choices, however, are reduced to discussions of how well they align with or defy societal expectations.
Ye has never shied away from controversy or provocation, but to fully understand his behavior and relationships, we need to examine him not just as a musician or fashion mogul but as a performance artist. Kanye himself has directly compared his career to that of the legendary comedian and performance artist Andy Kaufman, whose entire life was a series of acts meant to challenge the audience’s perception of reality. Kaufman was famous for blurring the lines between performance and real life, often leaving his audience unsure of whether what they were witnessing was authentic or part of a larger act. Kaufman’s antics were famously bizarre—he staged wrestling matches with women, created alter egos like the rude, abrasive Tony Clifton, and refused to break character, even in personal settings. His commitment to the act was so extreme that many people still believe Kaufman faked his death as the ultimate performance piece.
Kanye has often invoked Kaufman as a source of inspiration, often drawing parallels between his own actions and Kaufman’s commitment to performance art. Ye’s public persona is rife with moments that can be interpreted as part of a larger, ongoing performance—his notorious interruption of Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAs, his seemingly erratic outbursts on social media, and his polarizing fashion choices all contribute to a body of work that is as much about public reaction as it is about the art itself. In the same way that Kaufman never dropped the act, Kanye’s performance is ongoing. He constantly provokes, challenging the public’s assumptions and forcing us to confront our own biases about celebrity, power, and art. If we consider Kanye’s relationships with Kardashian and Censori through this lens, they, too, may be part of his larger performance. Ye has carefully crafted the public image of both women, shaping them into muses who participate in his artistic vision—whether they, or the public, are fully aware of it.
His fashion choices for Censori, particularly in their most provocative public appearances, may not be about control at all. Instead, these choices could be part of a deliberate performance designed to challenge societal norms about women’s clothing, autonomy, and freedom. Much like Kaufman’s antics, Kanye’s fashion provocations force the public to react, speculate, and project their own insecurities and judgments onto the women in his life. In this way, the audience’s reaction becomes part of the art itself, and we may never get the satisfaction of knowing whether this was Kanye’s intention all along. By keeping the audience in the dark, the artist effectively mirrors Kaufman’s approach—never breaking character and ensuring that the “performance” continues indefinitely.
Ultimately, Kanye’s provocations around fashion and his relationships with women like Kardashian and Censori may be his way of holding up a mirror to society, challenging us to question why we assign such rigid definitions of freedom, power, and oppression to the way women dress —whether they are revealing more or covering up. The audience’s reaction becomes part of the performance, much like Kaufman’s acts, and we may never know whether this was Kanye’s intention all along.
In the end, Kanye’s fashion provocations and public behavior reflect a deeper examination of cultural anxieties around power, control, and women’s appearances. His use of fashion as a tool to explore these themes is provocative and deliberate, leaving us to question our assumptions about what constitutes freedom, autonomy, and empowerment in the world of celebrity and beyond. If Kanye is a performance artist, using fashion and music as his mediums, he has one of the largest global audiences to ever do it. Every outfit, every public moment, is part of his ongoing performance. But like Kaufman, we may never get a clear explanation.
To quote Ye’s famous 2005 Grammy speech: “I guess we’ll never know.”
