TW: This article mentions eating disorders
The Met Gala was held on the 2nd of May 2022 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It is a night of glamour, prestige and beauty and this year has not failed to live up to this standard. Also known as “the biggest night in fashion,” the Met Gala features stars such as Blake Lively, Teyana Taylor and Hugh Jackman. From big, ostentatious hats to tight corsets, fashion designers gave us a walk down history to America’s gilded era. While others stuck to the theme of grandeur and layers of garments, Kim Kardashian wore a historical piece to gala, a gown that was once worn by none other than Marilyn Monroe when she performed “Happy Birthday Mr President” for US President John F Kennedy in 1962. Kim Kardashian revealed to Lala Anthony on the red carpet that she lost 16 pounds to fit into this dress.
In an interview with Vogue, Kardashian described an extensive plan of sauna suits, exercise and food restrictions and goes on to say “I didn’t starve myself, but I was so strict.” This statement by Kim Kardashian is the clear perpetuation of diet culture. Diet culture is a set of beliefs that values attractiveness, body shape and appearance over actual health and well-being. It equates thinness with health and attractiveness and gives us the false reality that we are more worthy as a person if we look a certain way. This belief has underpinned society for years on end and it can be fatal. Eating disorders claim the lives of many individuals yearly and to go on television and promote disordered eating is tone-deaf to say the least. Nutritionists and dieticians have feared that this stunt may further encourage and glamorise unhealthy eating habits and make people think that rapid weight loss is normal.
When Kim Kardashian says, “I lost 16 pounds in 3 weeks to fit into this dress”, she is inadvertently saying to her fans that harming your body is justified if you have an “important” event coming up. But at what cost? She changed out of the dress after she was on the red carpet because of its historical value and many argue that the dress did not even fit the theme. The fashion industry is notorious for promoting unhealthy eating habits and unrealistic beauty standards. This is an idea that we should be moving away from.
It is important that we do not buy into such unhealthy practices. We are taught to place our value and worth in our appearances to ensure we fit the criteria of what society deems as attractive. We are more than what we look like. Our bodies are not commodities. Health exists outside of a narrow frame and beauty and glamour exist in everyone, despite what fashion houses and social media promotion.