Amber Rose, the 41-year-old model and media personality, recently opened up about her tumultuous relationship with Kanye West, whom she dated from 2008 to 2010. In a candid interview on the Club Shay Shay podcast, aired on March 5, she detailed the rapper’s obsession with controlling the wardrobes of the women he dates, including his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and current partner Bianca Censori. Rose claimed that Kanye’s influence stems from a desire to make his partners objects of desire for other men, a pattern she experienced firsthand during their two-year romance. One particularly striking moment she shared was when she cried after being pressured by Kanye to wear a sheer dress during a trip to Europe, an incident that left her uncomfortable and heavily criticized online.
The revelations come amid ongoing scrutiny of Kanye’s influence on Bianca Censori, who turned heads at this year’s Grammy Awards in February with a transparent gown that sparked widespread debate. Rose, reflecting on her own past, asserted that this behavior is consistent across Kanye’s relationships, having shaped her style and Kim Kardashian’s during their seven-year marriage. “He wants other men to want his woman. That’s what he enjoys,” Rose explained, suggesting that Kanye thrives on the envy of his peers, including his close friends. Her comments shed light on a dynamic that has long fueled speculation about the rapper’s personal and creative motivations.
Boasting over 24 million Instagram followers, Amber Rose leveraged her platform to bring this side of Kanye into focus, sparking a viral moment that has reignited discussions about autonomy and aesthetic pressure in celebrity culture. The interview, hosted by former NFL star Shannon Sharpe, quickly gained traction, amassing thousands of views and prompting reactions across social media. By sharing her story, Rose not only revisits her history with Kanye but also invites a broader conversation about the toll his influence takes on the women in his life.
A past marked by pressure and unease
Recalling her time with Kanye West was no easy feat for Amber Rose. During the podcast, she painted a vivid picture of how, as a young woman in her mid-20s, she grappled with balancing her boyfriend’s expectations and her own sense of self. “I was young. He’d buy me expensive clothes, and I thought it was cool,” she admitted, acknowledging that her inexperience at 24 led her to bend to his will. Yet, when left to her own devices, she’d raid Kanye’s closet, opting for baggy jeans, oversized tees, and large jackets—a stark contrast to the revealing outfits he pushed her to wear in public.
One memory stood out sharply in her recounting. During a European trip—likely tied to the 2010 Paris Fashion Week—Kanye insisted she wear a sheer dress she vehemently opposed. “I cried. I argued with him and said, ‘I don’t want to wear this crap, I don’t want this,’” Rose shared. Kanye’s response, she recalled, was dismissive yet self-aggrandizing: “You don’t get it, it’s fashion, I’m a genius.” Despite her protests, she relented, only to face a barrage of online backlash that left her shaken. This episode, she noted, marked a turning point in how she viewed his controlling tendencies.
Amber’s story finds echoes in Kanye’s later relationships. Kim Kardashian, who married Kanye in 2014 and shares four children with him—North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm—has spoken about his influence on her wardrobe. In a 2022 episode of The Kardashians, Kim revealed how Kanye sent her emails with outfit suggestions early in their relationship, effectively reshaping her public image. The pattern persists with Bianca Censori, whose minimalistic and often risqué outfits—like her Grammy look or a Las Vegas casino appearance in December 2024—mirror the experiences Rose described, suggesting a deliberate continuity in Kanye’s approach.
What drives Kanye West’s control?
Delving into Kanye West’s motivations, Amber Rose offered a blunt assessment of what fuels his need to dictate his partners’ clothing. She argued that it’s less about fashion for its own sake and more about external validation. “He wants his friends to want to sleep with her, for her to be the most desired person in the room,” she stated, framing Kanye’s actions as a bid to bolster his ego through others’ admiration. This desire, Rose suggested, isn’t confined to red-carpet moments but extends to his inner circle, amplifying the personal stakes of his choices.
Recent events lend weight to her claims. In December 2024, Bianca Censori was spotted at a Las Vegas casino in a tiny bikini paired with a Santa hat, a bold look that drew attention and fueled rumors about her marriage to Kanye. Shortly after, in January, Kanye posted Instagram photos of Bianca in equally scant outfits, captioned with provocative lines like “No pants in 2025,” further stoking public intrigue. Rose addressed this directly: “Kanye’s definitely dressing her like that. It’s just who he is.” Her words position these incidents as part of a broader pattern rather than isolated choices.
Kanye’s behavior may tie into his larger persona. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2018—a fact he’s publicly acknowledged—the rapper’s need for control and affirmation could reflect deeper psychological currents, though Rose didn’t explicitly connect the two. Instead, she focused on the lived experience, portraying Kanye as someone who uses fashion as a tool to assert dominance. His track record as a trendsetter, from the minimalist Yeezy collections to his partners’ headline-grabbing looks, underscores how intertwined his personal and creative identities have become.
Key moments in Kanye’s style influence over partners
Kanye West’s impact on the wardrobes of his romantic partners follows a clear timeline spanning over a decade. Here’s a look at pivotal instances:
- 2008-2010: Amber Rose begins dating Kanye and appears at events like Paris Fashion Week in provocative outfits, including the sheer dress that sparked her tears.
- 2014-2021: During his marriage to Kim Kardashian, Kanye overhauls her style, ushering in a bolder, futuristic aesthetic seen in her 2016 Met Gala Balmain gown.
- 2022-present: After divorcing Kim, Kanye marries Bianca Censori, who adopts a series of barely-there looks, from the Grammy gown to Las Vegas outings.
This chronology highlights a consistent thread in how Kanye shapes the public image of those closest to him.
Public reaction and social media buzz
Amber Rose’s podcast appearance set social media ablaze, with fans and critics alike weighing in. Supporters praised her vulnerability, with one Instagram comment reading, “Her speaking out like this is everything, shows how he manipulated her.” Others speculated whether she was capitalizing on Kanye’s name for relevance, a critique that’s trailed her since their 2010 split. Regardless, the conversation has legs—on YouTube, the interview has racked up thousands of views, with comments ranging from solidarity to shock.
Online, the hashtag #KanyeWest trended on X as users dissected Rose’s revelations alongside Bianca Censori’s recent appearances. “Always knew he was controlling, but hearing it from her hits different,” one commenter noted. The discourse also circled back to Kim Kardashian, with some fans revisiting her evolution under Kanye’s guidance. For Rose, the moment doubles as a reclaiming of her narrative—she’s previously addressed the post-breakup harassment from Kanye, including his 2016 public jabs at her and her ex-husband Wiz Khalifa, with whom she shares a son, Sebastian.
The ripple effect of her words underscores their potency. At 41, with two children—Sebastian, 11, and Slash, 4—Rose positions herself as a voice of experience, unafraid to revisit a painful chapter. Her openness resonates in an era where authenticity often trumps polished personas, amplifying the story’s reach across platforms.
Tips for navigating aesthetic pressure, inspired by Amber
Amber Rose’s journey offers implicit lessons for those facing similar pressures in relationships or public life. Here are some takeaways drawn from her experience:
- Stand firm when something feels off, even under persistent urging.
- Lean on friends or family to stay grounded in your own perspective.
- Prioritize your identity over external demands.
- Recognize that yielding to pressure can carry an emotional cost.
These insights emerge organically from her story, serving as practical anchors for anyone caught in a controlling dynamic.
Kanye’s fashion legacy and its personal cost
Kanye West views his influence over his partners’ style as an extension of his fashion genius. Through Yeezy, a brand that reportedly surpassed $1 billion in annual sales by 2022, he’s redefined streetwear with a minimalist, futuristic edge. Shows like Yeezy Season 1 in 2015 cemented his status as a tastemaker, blending music, art, and apparel into a cultural force. For Kanye, dressing his partners in boundary-pushing outfits aligns with this creative ethos.
Amber Rose, however, frames this as a double-edged sword. Where Kanye saw artistry, she felt stripped of agency. Kim Kardashian turned his influence into a billion-dollar empire with SKIMS, valued at $4 billion in 2023, proving the potential for empowerment within his orbit. Bianca Censori’s path, marked by controversy rather than ownership, hews closer to Rose’s struggles, with outfits that provoke more questions than accolades. The tension lies in this duality—Kanye’s vision can elevate or overshadow, depending on who wields it.
His approach challenges norms, no doubt. Yeezy’s aesthetic has trickled into mainstream fashion, from neutral palettes to avant-garde silhouettes. Yet, Rose’s account suggests that, in his personal life, this innovation doubles as domination. Her tears over that sheer dress contrast sharply with Kanye’s “genius” label, exposing a human cost behind the headlines.
Amber Rose reclaims her story
Over the years, Amber Rose has turned her experiences into a platform for empowerment. Post-Kanye, she launched the SlutWalk in 2015, an annual event combating victim-blaming culture, and authored “How to Be a Bad Bitch” that same year. These moves signal her intent to rewrite her narrative beyond being “Kanye’s ex.” In the podcast, she doubles down: “I hated dressing like that,” she said, emphasizing how maturity and motherhood have shifted her lens.
Today, Rose balances vulnerability with defiance. She’s posed for bold campaigns—like her 2017 Revolve shoot—on her own terms, proving the issue was never sensuality itself but the loss of choice. As Kanye and Bianca Censori court attention with outfits like the Grammy gown or Las Vegas snaps, Rose stands apart, using her voice to peel back the curtain on a dynamic she once endured.
Her latest revelations cement this evolution. At a time when Kanye’s every move—from music to marriage—grabs headlines, Amber Rose offers a counterpoint: a woman who survived his orbit and emerged with a story to tell. It’s a testament to resilience, one that resonates far beyond the fashion world they once shared.
