Just when you thought the world had seen it all, Kim Kardashian and her Skims brand have unveiled something that makes faux nipple bras look tame: the “Merkin” thong, officially dubbed the Ultimate Bush Faux Hair Panty. Yes, you read that right—underwear with a built-in “bush” for maximum visual impact.
@skims Just Dropped: The Ultimate Bush.
♬ original sound – SKIMS
Skims launched the line with a throwback, game show style Instagram video titled “Does the Carpet Match the Drapes?”—a question that’s never really had more existential weight.
Contestants (blurred, of course) revealed the faux-hair thongs, and the internet collectively gasped.
Needless to say, reactions poured in:
“I just googled the date to make sure it’s not April 1st.”
“I’m calling 911.”
On X, one fan summed it up:
“Kim really said ‘if you can’t grow it, wear it.’ Marketing genius or fever dream — either way, SKIMS just broke the internet again.”
Skims describes the product on their site with the tagline:
“With our daring new Faux Hair Panty, your carpet can be whatever color you want it to be.”
Here’s where things get especially eyebrow raising: every single one of the 12 color and texture variants is already sold out. (You can, however, join a waitlist.) The notion that a novelty thong could vanish before most casual shoppers even noticed the drop is eyebrow raising—did folks really snap them up that fast, or was that the point from the start?
Kim didn’t shy away from the weirdness either. On her Instagram story she posted a video of the merkins and asked, “How funny are these merkins?”—then laughed, calling them “insane.”
A Little Skepticism, Please
Don’t get me wrong—Skims has long flirted with bold undergarment concepts (hello, faux-nipple bras). But this feels like the apex of “let’s push boundaries.” The messaging positions the thong as a kind of hyper-personalization tool—“match, don’t match, switch it up mid-day” by selecting your pubic hair color like it’s another accessory.
But here’s the rub: the broader campaign seems to ride on the wave of pro body hair sentiment (a la “full bush in a bikini,” a slogan popularised earlier in the year). The contrast between embracing natural hair, and then buying a fake one, feels like branding and trend-hopping rather than an authentic statement.
It raises the question: is this about empowerment or market opportunism? When a movement toward embracing body hair becomes just another design option to monetise, the line blurs fast.
@skims Who said the carpet has to match the drapes? Our most shocking panty, ever, is available now.
♬ original sound – SKIMS
And then there’s the “sold-out” factor. Did Skims genuinely underestimate demand for faux pubic hair, or was scarcity engineered? Some Instagram users seem unconvinced:
“SOMEONE PLZ TELL ME WHY THESE ARE OUT OF STOCK WHO IS BUYING”
“this is literally insane. who tf asked for this?”
“Years of laser and here we are……..”
“Kim buys them all out … says they’re ‘sold out’ so when she restocks people freak out and buy. This is just testing how people respond.”
It’s a fun idea in theory—customised faux hair thongs—but the delivery leans heavily into spectacle over substance.
So, was the Merkin launch a cheeky publicity stunt designed to drive eyeballs and site traffic, or a genuine next-level product idea that misfired on plausibility? I’ll let you decide.
