Nipples are the latest vogue. Nipples are popping out and making their presence known.

Nipples, at one time, were a hidden quality of women. In the past nipples were the circular reproduction part reserved for quiet evenings of lust in the bedroom.

But not anymore.

The natural reaction nipples have in certain situations are now setting new standards in fashion. The once-embarrassing-nipping-out incident is now the latest look highlighted on movies and television shows.

Haven’t you noticed that nipples are everywhere?

I thought I was seeing things when I first observed this latest trend. And after hours of nipple-friendly entertainment viewing, several questions remained unanswered.

“Is that actress nipping out on television?”

“Is it really that cold in the television studio?”

“Does she realize that she is nipping out?”

“How does she nip out for so long?”

“How can all actresses on `Friends’ be nipping out at the same time?”

“Do bras not exist in Hollywood?”

I realize that the nipples are there for the male audience. It helps keep them entertained during romantic movies their girlfriends drag them to. But if the nipples are so prevalent that the pair on the screen is distracting me (a female viewer who normally looks at actresses’ eyes and hair, not her chest), you know that nipple enhancement entertainment is getting too carried away.

Even the mannequins at Campus Book Store seem to be living in a land of deep freeze under their tight Iowa State T-shirts.

And like most things, nipple enhancement is not limited to the natural gifts of a woman’s body. For the low, low price of $19.99 any woman can have perkiness in any environment.

Body Perks, a Minnesota company that manufactures nipple enhancers, has been featured for doing just that.

On the company’s Web site, the product is described as being “lightweight, natural colored, silicone nipples that you insert into your bra and place directly on your own nipple. You can create your own look and wear them with tight T-shirts, sexy halters, dresses, twin sets, swimsuits and more.”

The Body Perks company prides itself on producing a one-size-fits-all nipple with “just the right amount of perkiness, regardless of breast size or shape. They will enhance the beauty of your breasts with the illusion of natural, erect nipples.”

And Body Perks isn’t the only place taking advantage of the latest fascination with nipples. Nordstrom has “Breast Petals” available for only $5.75. The pasties can be worn with almost anything, since skintone flowers can be attached to any size breast.

So even the most natural reaction in the world, nipping out, can be manufactured for nipple-conscious women everywhere.

After all this nipple trend setting, it leads one to wonder – what’s next in the world of skin-friendly fashion?

It could be T-shirts that are made to accent erect nipples. Or Victoria’s Secret company making bras with built-in nipple enhancement.

Or maybe, the fashion trend would lead to a similar new trend for men. In a world of Viagra acceptance, perhaps the new trend could be for a man to walk into a bar with a bulging erection protruding from his tight pair of jeans.

But until that happens, the trend continues to be nipples. They are everywhere. But for once, I’m not going to give into this sexual fashion trend. I’m keeping my nipples undercover and wish actresses would do the same.

Or at least put a bra on.

Michelle Kann is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Garnavillo. She is the newsroom managing editor of the Daily.