Buckle up, folks, because we’re about to dive into a story that’s as divisive as pineapple on pizza. Kim Kardashian had the audacity—yes, audacity—to claim that people ‘didn’t know’ who Marilyn Monroe was before she slipped into Monroe’s iconic dress. You know, the ‘Happy Birthday Mr. President’ dress that Monroe famously wore while serenading President John F. Kennedy.
The reality TV star and business mogul flaunted the dazzling gown at the 2022 Met Gala, stirring a tsunami of controversy. Critics accused Kim of toying with history and possibly damaging the cherished relic.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, dear reader.
First off, let’s talk about the extreme lengths Kim went to in order to squeeze into that dress. She reportedly lost more than a stone in just three weeks. Yes, you heard it right. Three. Weeks. Her secret? Wearing a sauna suit twice a day, running on the treadmill, and cutting out sugar and carbs. It’s like she turned her kitchen into a boot camp!
Unsurprisingly, her drastic measures ruffled some feathers. Critics lambasted her for promoting what many see as unhealthy weight loss techniques. Kim, however, didn’t seem too fazed by the backlash.
“I’m not trying to lose any more weight but I have more energy than ever,” she confidently stated. Kim likened her transformation to actors who lose weight for movie roles, name-dropping Christian Bale and Renée Zellweger to make her point. According to her, it was all in the name of embodying an icon.
Now, let’s get back to the dress. Kim and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!, the owner of the garment, staunchly denied any damage to the dress after its Met Gala appearance. To placate the hordes, the franchise declared that the dress was treated with the utmost care. Conservationists, appraisers, and archivists all weighed in to ensure its safety.
Meanwhile, collectors like Scott Fortner, who specializes in authenticating Monroe memorabilia, did spot some, shall we say, “wear and tear.” Stretched fabric and missing crystals were a sore point for Monroe fans. But Ripley’s doubled down, insisting that Kim didn’t harm the garment in the “short amount of time” it was worn.
Ripley’s went a few steps further to defend their decision. They revealed that Kim made a charitable donation to two Orlando-based charities instead of paying for the dress. No money changed hands for the act of wearing the dress, just good old charitable contributions. How charming.
The conversation took yet another scandalous turn when Kim appeared on Today with Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb. While promoting her skincare line—yep, multitasking like a pro—she casually mentioned a behind-the-scenes chat about Monroe’s dress. Kim claimed that some folks on TikTok didn’t even know who Marilyn Monroe was until she wore the gown. Hold on, what?
This eye-popping statement unleashed a torrent of fury on social media. One netizen incredulously wrote, “Ain’t no way Kim Kardashian said many people didn’t know who Marilyn Monroe was until she wore her dress.” Another added, with a palpable eye-roll, “The audacity of this.” And let’s not forget the critic who quipped, “Imagine having this much ego!”
For the uninitiated, Monroe wore the dress in May 1962 at Madison Square Garden to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to JFK. Three months later, she tragically passed away. So, yes, the dress does hold more than just glamorous fabric—it’s a piece of American history.
But back to Kim. She fervently defended her choice to wear the dress, emphasizing its symbolic value. “I respect her and I understand how much this dress means to American history,” she explained. Kim saw it as a tribute fitting the Met Gala’s American theme, seeing it as the ultimate homage to Monroe’s historic moment.
While chatting with Guthrie and Kotb, Kim reiterated her astonishment at the younger generation’s apparent ignorance about Monroe. Might this be an exaggeration or a well-strategized media move? Who knows? But one thing’s for sure—Kim is nothing if not a master at stirring the pot.
So, what do we take away from all this? Whether you see Kim Kardashian as a fashionable history-lover or as an attention-seeking star, the fact remains: she knows how to keep the spotlight firmly on her. And in today’s world, that’s an art form in itself.