Kim ‘K.’
Sophie Hiland
Kim K Dropping 16 lbs in 3 Weeks
She didn’t quite break the internet again, but Kim Kardashian caused serious drama when she donned the famous Marilyn Monroe “naked dress” which the blonde bombshell wore while singing “happy birthday” to President John F. Kennedy on May 19th, 1962.
Similar to Kardashian, Monroe’s body was a large part of her rise to fame and her role as one of the first “sex symbols,” and her figure was a constant source of commentary and criticism in the media. When Monroe wore the “naked dress,” she was recovering from a long-term gallbladder illness and endometriosis surgery, causing her weight to plummet. Additionally, throughout her life, Monroe struggled with mental illness, substance abuse, and what we now call “body image.” In August of 1962, Monroe committed suicide when she took more than two- times the lethal dose of barbiturates.
Now back to the Met Gala: in an interview with La La Anthony for Vogue, Kardashian talks about the process of dropping weight in order to fit in the dress.
Kardashian told Anthony: “I tried it on and it didn’t fit me so I looked at [the armed guards who brought her the dress and worked for the owner of the dress, Ripley’s Believe it or Not] and I said ‘give me three weeks’ and I had to lose 16 lbs down today to be able to fit this.”
Kardashian went on to say “It was such a challenge. It was like a role, I was determined to fit it.”
Before heading inside to change into the replica dress, which is much more durable thanks to the new fabric, Kardashian told Anthony: “Since I haven’t eaten carbs or sugar in about three weeks, we are eating pizza and donut party back at the hotel.”
Is it just me or is this NOT OKAY?!
Forget about the fact that it’s a 60-year-old dress that’s incredibly fragile and therefore not quite cut out to be worn, even for an hour—It’s 2022!
Aren’t we beyond trying to fit (pun intended) the beauty norms of the past?
Sure it’s just factual that Kim did lose this weight in order to fit this dress, and by and large, the response of others to this has been pretty negative, but wtf?
The replica of the dress looked identical to the original. What if she had just worn the replica, that fit her, on the red carpet?
What is it about proving that she can fit into this dress that could ever be considered a worthwhile activity? While it’s super interesting to think about the ways in which one version of the “ideal” body has changed over the course of history, can’t we think about that without glamorizing crash diets and unhealthy body standards without seeing someone starve themself?
While Kim has undoubtedly done great things to push body positivity into the mainstream such as her body-inclusive line Skims, is this a big step back for our society? Or can we see this as an example of how these aesthetic values are pervasive in our culture?
Middlebury is notorious for disordered eating, see:
this article by Annaliese Terlesky, a member of Clover
this New York Times article by Middlebury class of 2012 graduate Dana Walters
this article by recent alum Quinn Boyle
I’ve been relieved to hear my fellow students frustrated about this whole situation, but it does force us to consider the ways in which we consider “willpower” a key trait in people who are smart and destined for success.