Kylie Jenner Topless Photo: Racy Pictures Could Be A Ploy To Draw Attention To Kylie’s Soon-To-Be-Launched Lingerie Line

Kylie Jenner posted a topless picture to her Instagram account this weekend that is drawing plenty of attention, but there is some speculation that the racy shot is really just a bit of viral marketing for a new line of lingerie that the 19-year-old reality star is launching.

The picture of Kylie topless showed up on her page on Saturday afternoon, an apparent post in celebration of her boyfriend Tyga’s 27th birthday. The photo showed Kylie straddling her boyfriend without a shirt (though she was strategically covered to keep the picture from being too racy for Instagram’s no-nudity policy).

Kylie Jenner actually posted two topless photos, including one where she and Tyga are sharing a light moment together.

.KylieJenner posts a new slew of racy lingerie pics https://t.co/VQn4oG4V9Z

— Photogenic Magazine (@PhotogenicLK) November 20, 2016

There is some speculation that Kylie Jenner’s topless photo could be a ploy to draw attention to her soon-to-be-launched lingerie line. Kylie has been expanding her cosmetics empire in recent years, and Cosmopolitan speculated that she is ready to launch the line of intimate wear.

A report this week noted that Kylie Jenner posted a series of three images showing herself in “lacy lingerie and a leather trench coat,” each with a caption of @thekyliestore and a link that implied that there was an upcoming launch. Cosmopolitan noted that the pictures were clearly meant to draw attention to whatever might be launched.

“This is some Illuminati stuff, people! What is happening? Clicking the link in the page’s bio, which takes one to Kyliejennershop.com, doesn’t help much because the site is all black, save a countdown, which at this point in time reads 21 days, 16 hours, and some change. (The apocalypse?!?!?!?!)”

If the topless photos this weekend were meant to bring more attention to the launch of The Kylie Store, it apparently worked. Many stories generated from Kylie’s racy photo included references to the previous photos this week and the launch ahead.

In its story, Hollywood Life linked back to the pictures announcing the lingerie line launch.

“If you showed us these photo two days ago, we’d be completely shocked, by just yesterday, Nov. 18, Kylie posted a photo of herself flashing her bare nipple for the very first time,” the report noted. “So seeing her completely topless now doesn’t really blow our minds. The pics, however, are very sexy. We can’t wait to see more!”

If the picture this weekend is a way to draw attention to the upcoming launch, it shows that Kylie Jenner has a fantastic grasp on viral marketing. In the past, she has used social media to promote and tease the launch of her wildly popular line of cosmetics.

Kylie’s Lip Kit has been known to sell out in minutes of its launch, and has been listed on eBay for as much as $3,000. As Forbes noted, the incredible popularity of Kylie’s Lip Kit among her mostly teenage fans justifies that kind of markup.

“There are lots of substitutes if you want your lips to look a certain color, the problem is people aren’t buying functionality, they are buying desirability,” Z. John Zhang, a professor of marketing at the Wharton School, told the business magazine. “You can keep up with the Kardashians and that kind of feeling is worth more than what goes into the lipstick.”

?? @kyliejenner wearing ANGEL. an exclusive Holiday Shade. #Nov21 pic.twitter.com/1U3ZxPmCYX

— Kylie Cosmetics (@kyliecosmetics) November 19, 2016

The listing for $3,000 didn’t have much action at the time the story was posted, but Forbes noted that many others were listed in the $1,000 range and were garnering attention from bidders.

It’s still not exactly clear what the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star plans to launch at the end of her countdown, but if Kylie Jenner’s topless photos and the attention they brought are any indication, a potential lingerie line could end up being just as popular as her cosmetics line.

[Featured Image by Diane Bondareff/AP Images]