Sixty years after Marilyn Monroe sang her unforgettable rendition of “Happy Birthday” to President Kennedy in 1962, today’s Queen of curves, Kim Kardashian, has brought the iconic star’s dress back into the forefront with another red carpet debut at the 2022 Met Gala.
To achieve the honor of being the only person in history to wear what is arguably one of the most instantly recognizable dresses of all time, the 41-year-old star had to tailor her body into the dress, not the other way around. In order to get the job done she says she had to pull out all the stops and shed 16 pounds in three weeks, which as any woman in her forties knows is no easy feat.
“I 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 told Vogue. “I didn’t starve myself, but I was so strict.” After her month-long diet, Kardashian made her way to Orlando’s Ripley Museum vaults to try on the actual dress. “I wanted to cry tears of joy when it went up,” she shared.
Kardashian told Lala Anthony on the red carpet that getting ready to get into the dress was like getting ready for a movie role. “I had this idea to put it on and try it on and then they came with armed guards and gloves. I tried it on it didn’t fit me, so I looked at them and I said give me like three weeks,” she said of her journey to fit the dress. “I had to lose 16 pounds down [by] today to be able to fit this, but I it was such a challenge. It’s like [getting ready for] a role and I was determined to win it.”
To take zero chances, Kardashian, who came to the event accompanied by boyfriend Pete Davidson, only wore the Jean Louis dress (which was based on a sketch by then 23-year-old designer Bob Mackie) for her red carpet walk and swiftly changed into a replica before the night’s festivities began. “I’m extremely respectful to the dress and what it means to American history,” she told Vogue. “I would never want to sit in it or eat in it or have any risk of any damage to it and I won’t be wearing the kind of body makeup I usually do. Everything had to be specifically timed and I had to practice walking up the stairs.”
A symbol of the 50’s bombshell hourglass ideal, Monroe has often been reported as having been a size 12 or larger. After Kardashian’s incredibly grueling diet to slenderize her figure, we can all agree it may be time to re-evaluate that historical myth.
“I haven’t eaten carbs or sugar in about three weeks, so we’re eating pizza and having a donut party back at the hotel,” joked Kardashian about going back to her hotel with Davidson following the event.
