A Matter of Sheer Ethics & A Sheer Dress
- Hannah Desko
- May 16, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Every year when the Met Gala rolls around, we’re bombarded with both reviews of celebrities’ outfits and criticism for the world even being interested in an event for the rich. I won’t deny that when you really think about it, it does feel a bit silly to worry about what a bunch of celebrities are wearing to an exclusive event; however, it is ultimately a celebration of fashion, thus a celebration of art. The first Met Gala was hosted as a fundraiser for the Costume Institute in 1948, and since its creation, the Gala has been for the rich. In the 1970s, more celebrities began attending the Gala and there was an official theme each year. And while I could go off about how it seems as if modern attendees barely pay attention to the theme, I will instead go off about the numerous issues about one particular look this year: Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe’s dress.
Before we examine Kim K’s look and its issues, let’s get some context on this year’s theme. Both this year and last year’s themes were meant to examine American history and fashion. Part one of this American theme was presented in 2021 with “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” which was supposed to highlight modern American designers and recent social and political impacts on the fashion industry. Part two was this year’s theme: “In America: An Anthology of Fashion.” The Gilded Age, a period from 1870-1900, was supposed to be the primary inspiration for this year’s Met Gala, and while some celebrities nailed this theme (aka Blake Lively in her Statue of Liberty-esque changing dress), many fell short. However, Kim Kardashian’s look did not fall short— it was just problematic.
I understand that celebrities didn’t have to wear outfits inspired by the Gilded Age, and I understand that a dress that was Marilyn Monroe’s absolutely falls into an anthology of American fashion. But it wasn’t a replica of Marilyn Monroe’s dress, or even a dress that was a modern take on the dress from the 1960s; no, Kim Kardashian literally wore Marilyn Monroe’s dress (she eventually changed into a replica, but was wearing the real thing down the red carpet). The number one issue with this is the historical and cultural significance of the dress. Marilyn Monroe wore this dress when she sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy in 1962. The fit and sheerness of the dress shocked the country, and at this point in 1962 it was already speculated that JFK and Monroe had had some sort of affair. Monroe was literally sewn into the dress before she sang “Happy Birthday,” which would be her final interaction with JFK, Monroe dying only mere months later. This dress is not just a dress, but a symbol of a tragic life, and a symbol of the messy, dangerous intermingling of pop-culture and politics. And I know Kim K only wore the dress to walk down the red carpet, but she was wearing a piece that should not have been worn by anyone.
Fashion and costume historian/YouTuber Abby Cox made a video describing how a garment such as Monroe’s should be well protected in a museum, infrequently put on display. Because of the social importance of the dress, the material uniqueness of a dress made in the 1960s, and the price of the dress, Monroe’s “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress should not be casually worn, even if it is by Kim Kardashian at the Met Gala. Cox also puts the blame not on Kardashian, but on Ripley’s Believe It Not, the current owner of the dress. Established museums have codes of ethics, stating that garments of historical and social significance must be treated delicately and live only within a museum, yet Ripley’s museum chain is not a well-established museum, thus they do not comply with these rules. Ultimately, Ripley’s allowing Kardashian to wear the dress seems to be nothing more than a marketing tactic, getting people to talk about the dress so they’ll come see it on display. However, the dress that will be displayed in the future will not be the same that Marilyn Monroe wore; she and Kardashian obviously have different body types, and Kardashian likely stretched out areas where she and Monroe differed in size (e.g. the hip area). That is in no way to body shame anyone, it’s just a fact that the same article of clothing will fit different bodies in different ways.
And that leads us to another problematic element of this dress being worn: Kim Kardashian openly admitted to losing weight and not eating in order to fit into this dress. In a world where we’re constantly told that our clothes should be made to fit us, not the other way around, here is an example of a celebrity with a great deal of impact and clout promoting that it is okay to alter yourself to fit an article of clothing. It just doesn’t sit well with me that she would put her body through such unhealthy behavior to fit in a dress to walk down the red carpet. Many women of all ages look up to Kim Kardashian, so her openly revealing unhealthy actions just to fit into a dress is appalling. Maybe deciding and being able to wear the dress wasn’t her fault, but promoting unhealthy standards and practices is her fault.
My last issue is that after the Met Gala, Kardashian was given a lock of Monroe’s hair as a gift. Even though it’s now rumored that the hair is fake and not actually Monroe’s, it’s still creepy. Marilyn Monroe led a tragic life and has existed in American culture as nothing but a sex symbol for decades. If the hair really was Marilyn Monroe’s, it just feels so disrespectful to continue treating her and her body as nothing more than an object. And if the hair isn’t Monroe’s, well then that’s just a weird gift.
Wearing a dress of such significance is a good idea in theory, but can be quite unethical. I know the Met Gala has evolved into nothing more than a pool of celebrities strutting about in expensive clothes and that maybe we, the average people, shouldn’t care about it. However, so many lines were crossed in Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress that I feel we should care. Fashion ethics were broken, but ultimately, and probably more importantly, simple ethics of being a good, healthy human were broken.
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