At first, when Kim Kardashian made her Marilyn Monroe moment debut on the red carpet at the 2022 Met Gala, some saw the stunt as an iconic moment for the reality star.
After all, a reality star, who first gained popularity for making a sex tape and known for simply being famous, had finally earned her way to such an iconic moment wearing the legendary movie star’s infamous “Happy Birthday” dress.
Others, meanwhile, did not share the same opinion. In fact, many have come forward and criticized Kardashian for wearing the garment.
But before we get into that, here’s a little background on how this moment came to be:
In order to fit into the gown, Kardashian reportedly lost 16 pounds in three weeks as the dress did not initially fit the reality star, nor could it be altered.
The dress was flown to the star via private plane from Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum in Orlando, Florida.
When it came time to wear the iconic dress, Kardashian was only allowed to wear the actual dress for a brief period of time. That said, she had a replica made that she would wear during the rest of her attendance at the gala. Kardashian noted that during that period when she was able to wear the authentic piece, she was extremely respectful to the garment.
“I’m extremely respectful to the dress and what it means to American history. I would never want to sit in it or eat in it or have any risk of any damage to it, and I won’t be wearing the kind of body makeup I usually do,” she said.
“Everything had to be specifically timed, and I had to practice walking up the stairs.”
But despite her care for the piece, many fans, including historians, say that Kardashian’s Marilyn moment at the Met Gala was disrespectful to the integrity of the gown and its priceless history.
But there’s more. Just recently, the 82-year-old costume designer, Bob Mackie, who sketched the 1962 gown Monroe wore when she sang “Happy Birthday” to then-President John F. Kennedy, said Kim Kardashian wearing the gown was “a mistake.”
“I thought it was a big mistake,” the designer told Entertainment Weekly.
“[Marilyn] was a goddess. A crazy goddess, but a goddess. She was just fabulous. Nobody photographs like that. And it was done for her. It was designed for her. Nobody else should be seen in that dress.”
So, how did the seemingly “iconic” moment turn into an absolute debacle of sorts? It happened when Kardashian thought she “earned” the right to wear such a piece and thought she was above the rest to make such a stunt happen.
While yes, she may have endless resources to pull off something like this, it doesn’t mean that she’s earned the right to touch or associate herself with such a moment in history – no one has earned the right to recreate iconic moments such as this. These moments are iconic for a reason – they happen once and are not repeated.
All in all, Kardashian’s moment at the 2022 Met Gala was unfortunately disrespectful to the dress and what it represents. It became a moment that was seemingly all about her and less about the iconic dress and the moment in time it represents. It was an absolute “I” moment for Kardashian and a PR stunt that the Kardashian clan has notoriously mastered.
