There has been much talk of Kim Kardashian’s diet to be able to wear the famous Marilyn Monoe dress at the Met Gala 2022, the same dress Marilyn wore when she sang “Happy Birthday” to John F. Kennedy in 1962. In an interview by Vogue, Kardashian said “I had to be able to lose 16 pounds to be able to fit this. It was such a challenge. It was like a role. I was determined. I was determined to fit it. They didn’t believe I was going to do it”. As she speaks these words, Kim has a huge smile across her face for having been able to achieve this “feat”. She had an extreme diet to lose 16 pounds in the space of only 3 weeks, which is highly dangerous. Her language here is extremely alarming.
This glorified “challenge” that she embarked on is more of a health danger and mental danger to her and to those who follow her. By speaking so positively about this diet, the star is diffusing the most unhealthy diet culture and dangerous eating habits. She even told Vogue that she would “wear a sauna suit twice a day, run on the treadmill, completely cut out all sugar and all carbs, and just eat the cleanest veggies and protein”. She then proceeds to explain that she starved herself to meet these beauty standards. Saying such things when you have such a platform can be highly detrimental to others. By doing this, Kim Kardashian is perpetuating unhealthy beauty standards by publicly declaring that she made her body fit the dress instead of choosing a dress that fit her. The celebrity is therefore promoting dangerous and unhealthy eating behaviours and exercising habits and making people think that they must fit within these standards and within clothing that is in a certain size.
According to Forbes, “when young women follow online content about celebrities who brag about losing weight or wearing extreme shapewear, those young women are statistically more likely to develop eating disorders and low self-esteem”. Various dietitians, nutritionists and health professionals have also spoken out about the controversial issue highlighting the dangers of this extreme diet. Indeed, in an article written by Hello Magazine, the nutritionist Charlotte Faure Green explained that “to lose such a large amount of weight in such a short space of time is not a healthy practice and can have huge repercussions on every system in the body: immune function, hormones, mental health, digestive, muscular, skin and nails and skeletal”. This type of diet is therefore also physically unhealthy to follow. By following this, Kim has excluded essential nutrients that are essential to the body. Kim made her body go through all this just to fit into a dress. This is so problematic in every single way and is highly revealing of the negative aspects of the fashion industry promoting unrealistic beauty standards and body image.
Lili Reinhart has also spoken out after hearing the interview calling out the behaviour. The Riverdale star, posted on social media in the form of Instagram stories: “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 recent interview for W Magazine, Lili Reinhart even states how she reckons she will not be invited to the next Met Gala due to her comments on Kim Kardashian’s diet: “But after going again this year, I don’t think I’ll be invited back.” She laughed. “I said a certain something about a certain person in a certain dress”. This further portrays how problematic the fashion and media industries can be. Lili Reinhart’s words convey how Kim Kardashian isn’t the only one who is perpetuating these behaviours but it is a whole industry that is. In an interview by Harper’s Bazaar, Lili also described this world of celebrities and looks as being “so obsessed with women’s bodies and weights”.
Kim Kardashian is therefore rendering the idea that her body had to be changed to fit into a certain mould, into this dress, thus giving a terrible idea of body image to everyone out there. Kim Kardashian has even put her own health at risk by embarking on such an extreme diet and has simultaneously promoted toxic behaviour standards in doing so and declaring this with such pride before everyone’s eyes and ears.