Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
"I wasn’t saying, 'Hey everyone, why don’t you go lose this weight in a short period of time?'" Kardashian said of the backlash surrounding her rapid weight loss to fit into the iconic Marilyn Monroe "Happy Birthday" dress.
Kim Kardashian is addressing the criticism surrounding her weight loss to fit into her Met Gala look.
In an interview with The New York Times, Kardashian commented on wearing the actual gown that Marilyn Monroe famously wore when she sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden in 1962. When speaking to La La Anthony, co-host of Vogue‘s Met Gala livestream, on the red carpet, Kardashian revealed that in order to fit into the dress she needed to lose 16 pounds, and abided by a diet that included eliminating sugar and carbs for three weeks.
The statements about her rapid weight loss drew backlash among advocates for body positivity, including actress Lili Reinhart, who made comments in an Instagram Story addressing how “wrong” it is to “openly admit to starving yourself for the sake of the Met Gala. When you know very well that millions of young men and women are looking up to you and listening to your every word. The ignorance is other-worldly disgusting.” In a follow-up tweet, Reinhart noted, “I speak up because I don’t see enough people with large platforms calling out toxic behavior in our industry.”
Related Stories Lifestyle Turner Classic Movies Teams Up With Julien's Auctions (Exclusive) Lifestyle Met Gala: The Full Backstory on How Kim Kardashian Was Able to Borrow the Marilyn Monroe Dress
Of the overall backlash, Kardashian told the Times, “To me it was like, ‘OK, Christian Bale can do it for a movie role and that is acceptable.’ Even Renée Zellweger gained weight for a role. It’s all the same to me. I wasn’t saying, ‘Hey everyone, why don’t you go lose this weight in a short period of time?'”
Kardashian told the Times she lost the 16 pounds through diet, running twice a day and wearing a sauna suit. Kardashian further reiterated, “I didn’t do anything unhealthy” and admitted that had she not been able to lose the weight she “just simply couldn’t have gone, which wouldn’t have mattered. It was just important for me to reach that goal.”
In an interview with THR, the executives of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! (which owns the dress) and Julien’s Auctions (which handled its sale and connected Kardashian with Ripley’s), explained that the parameters for wearing the dress included Kardashian having a limited amount of time to wear it. For her walk up the carpeted steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the dress could not be altered in any way, and body makeup was prohibited.
Despite a replica dress fitting, which Kardashian tried on in order to gauge the fit, the original did not. “The replica dress was measured to be the exact same size, but it is a newer stretch fabric, and that was likely the difference,” Amanda Joiner, vice president of publishing and licensing for the Orlando-based Ripley Entertainment, told THR. “Kim was very determined. I don’t think she had many backups for that night. She really wanted this to be the dress.”
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
Send us a tip using our anonymous form.