Kim Kardashian says people “didn’t know” who Marilyn Monroe was before she donned her iconic dress.
The Kardashians star rocked Monroe’s ‘Happy Birthday Mr. President” at the 2022 Met Gala and faced massive backlash afterward.
The SKIMS owner was accused of damaging the garment, which she vehemently denied, as well as being condemned for the strict diet she began before the red carpet event.
But now Kim is raising even more eyebrows with her new comments about the Hollywood legend…
Kardashian’s wearing of the dress had a lot of controversial elements…
She first revealed to Vogue that she had shed more than a stone in just three weeks.
She claimed that she would “take a sauna twice a day, run on the exercise bike, completely cut out all sugar and all carbs, and eat only the purest vegetables and protein.”
This led to Kim being called out for promoting “unhealthy” weight loss.
“I’m not trying to lose weight, but I have more energy than ever. I cut out so much sugar and a lot of junk food that I used to eat,” she said of the backlash. “I just completely changed my lifestyle.
Kim would tell The New York Times that it’s the same as an actor losing weight for a movie role.
She explained: “For me, it was like, ‘OK, Christian Bale can do this for a movie role and that’s acceptable. Even Renée Zellweger
she gained weight for the role.
“I don’t care. I didn’t say, ‘Hey everyone, why don’t you go lose weight in a short amount of time?’
Another aspect of the dress that sparked backlash was questions about whether Kardashian had damaged a historical artifact.
Photos taken by Scott Fortner, a collector who works to authenticate and authenticate Monroe memorabilia, appear to show stretched and sagging fabric and missing crystals on the back of the dress.
The post quotes the owner of the dress, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!, as saying at the time that great care was taken to preserve this piece of pop culture history. With the help of garment conservators, appraisers, and archivists, the condition of the garment was a top priority… no alterations were allowed on the dress and Kim even changed into a replica after the red carpet!’.
The International Council of Museums states that “historical clothing should not be worn by anyone, public or private,” as reported by The Guardian.
Ripley’s also released a statement (via Us Weekly): “Kim Kardashian’s ‘Happy Birthday’ dress has been hotly contested, but the fact remains that the dress did no short-term damage in any way. Was worn to the Met Gala.”
Ripley’s vice president of publishing and licensing, Amanda Joiner, added in a statement: “From the bottom of the Met steps, where Kim got into the dress, to the top, where it was returned, the dress was in the same condition as it started in.”
Ripley concluded: “A recent post on social media asked: Was it worth it? Kim Kardashian did not pay Ripley’s Believe It or Not! to wear the dress, nor was she paid by the company.
Rather, Kardashian made a charitable donation to two charities in the greater Orlando area in favor of the dress.”
Before her performance, Kim defended her outfit choice.
“I have an extraordinary respect for the dress and what it means to American history,” she said.
“I would never want to sit in it or eat in it or have any risk of damaging it, and I won’t be wearing the body makeup that I usually wear.”
Kim continued: “It was such a process. I showed up on the red carpet in a robe and slippers. I put my dress on at the bottom of the carpet, walked up the stairs, wore it for about four minutes, and then changed.” right at the top of the stairs.”
When asked if the dress was damaged by her wearing it, she insisted: “No. [Ripley’s and || worked so well together. There were gloved handlers who put it on for me.”
Kim Kardashian says she was so happy to be given the “opportunity” to wear Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress. Credit: @kimkardashian/Instagram
But now there has been another controversy regarding the clothes.
Kim went viral after saying people didn’t even know who Monroe was before she wore the dress!
The reality TV star appeared on the Today Show with Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb when Monroe’s historic dress was revealed.
She was on the show to promote her skincare line when the host brought up a backstage interview she had with Kim.
Many social media users are outraged by Kardashian’s comments, with one writing:
“Kim Kardashian in no way said that a lot of people didn’t know who Marilyn Monroe was until she wore her dress.”
Another says: “That’s rude.”
“Imagine having that much ego!” adds a third.
“What a bubble he lives in, covered only by money,” comments a fourth person. “I just don’t know why people pay so much attention to her.
Monroe wore the dress to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden in May 1962 – three months before her death.
Kim added: “I respect her and understand how much this dress means to American history.
“Since the theme is American, I thought what could be more American than Marilyn Monroe singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the President of the United States.”
Guthrie said: “We were just talking, you said you were shocked on TikTok, some people don’t even know who Marilyn Monroe was.”
Kim replied: “That was the most shocking to me and that’s why I was so happy to at least have that opportunity and that Ripley gave me the opportunity to share this moment so that it could live on.”