It wouldn’t be the MET gala if 80% of the headlines weren’t stolen by Kim Kardashian’s choice of controversial costume for the night. Last year, she decided to go all incognito and covered herself head-to-toe in a Balenciaga ensemble. In 2019, she wore a wet dress by master couturier Thierry Mugler—the outfit was so tight at the waist that it ignited rumours about Kim undergoing a procedure to remove a rib to fit into the dress. She practically had to take breathing lessons to survive a few hours in that dress, Kim proudly shared, “Corset breathing lessons from none other than Mr Pearl,” she wrote. “It was worth it all!” was it though? Attending the most fabulous party of the year and not being able to sit, converse or admire the exhibit (the sole purpose of the night) would be a shame.
Just when I thought Kim was done pulling all the stops of absurdity when it comes to fashion, MET 2022 happened. Weeks before the big night, rumours about the reality star wearing Marilyn Monroe’s iconic, ‘Happy Birthday Mr President’ dress by Jean Louis started doing the rounds. The legendary ensemble was sold for $4.8million in 2016 and was kept in a temperature-controlled vault in Orlando, Florida. We all know Kim loves making a statement and what could be a better head-turner than wearing an infamous dress worn by Hollywood’s original legend. All was well and good—Kim walked the MET red carpet with her new man Pete Davidson by her side and for once, critics and the audiences unanimously lauded her look. This was until she gave an interview to her friend and TV personality, Lala Anthony about how she had to drastically lose 16 pounds in 3 weeks to fit into her MET 2022 dress.
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“I would wear a sauna suit twice a day, run on the treadmill, completely cut out all sugar and all carbs, and just eat the cleanest veggies and protein. I didn’t starve myself, but I was so strict, ” Kim shared during the interview. Kim isn’t known to be the poster face of body positivity, but for one of the most famous women in the world, to make this alarmingly problematic statement at a widely viewed annual event is taking it to a whole another level. From endorsing flat-tummy teas and appetite-suppressing gummies that trigger food disorders to flaunting an unhealthy public image of beauty—Kim is setting all the wrong examples when she could be using her platform to inspire millions of young girls with impressionable minds.
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What’s even more shocking? Out of respect for Monroe, Kim wore the dress just for 10 minutes and later slipped into a replica. The idea that she underwent an extreme transformation to fit into an attire she couldn’t even wear for the night is bizarre and damaging. Alternate to this? Collaborate with a designer (God knows she has them all on speed dial) to create a dress inspired by Marilyn’s and give it her own Gilded Glamour touch, instead of denying herself the simple pleasures of life—carbs and sugar.
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‘Fashion is pain’ is a quote that is thrown around like confetti to justify all of the unacceptable things we do in the name of fashion, especially to women. Did you see the men last night for the MET? The maximum effort they put was to match their pocket squares with the outfits of their significant others. Women have been altering, expanding, hurting and changing themselves to meet these impossibly hard to match standards set by the fashion world. In an attempt to pay homage to the Gilded era, we saw celebrities like Sza, Billie Eilish and others cinched in corsets tighter than the bond between patriarchy and toxic masculinity. Not too long ago, Lady Gaga lead this category of celebrities when it came to sporting excruciating couture—ranging from meat a dress and shoes to showing up in a giant-sized octopus costume.
Women across the globe look up to these celebrities and idolise their every move—how tone-deaf was it of Kim to send a message, that in order to be beautiful, you need to be unhealthily thin and it doesn’t matter how you get there? Ironically, when Kim rose to fame, she was known for flaunting her curves during a time when only being stick-figured was considered sexy. Being healthy and following a lifestyle to attain a strong and sustaining body is a different story, but falling into the trope of only-thin-is-pretty in 2022 is detrimental.
