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Ripley’s Denies Kim Kardashian Damaged Marilyn Monroe’s Dress at 2022 Met Gala
Setting the record straight. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is denying claims that Kim Kardashian damaged Marilyn Monroe’s dress that she wore to the Met Gala in May 2022.
“Kim Kardashian’s walk up the Metropolitan Museum’s stairs … did not cause damage to Marilyn Monroe’s famed ‘Happy Birthday’ dress from 1962,” the franchise said.
“A report written on the dress’s condition in early 2017 states, ‘a number of the seams are pulled and worn. This is not surprising given how delicate the material is. There is puckering at the back by the hooks and eyes,’ among other instances of damage,” the company added.
“’From the bottom of the Met steps, where Kim got into the dress, to the top where it was returned, the dress was in the same condition it started in,’ noted Ripley’s VP of Publishing and Licensing, Amanda Joiner, who was continuously with the dress the day of the Gala and during transport from Orlando to New York,” the statement continued.
The Marilyn Monroe Collection Instagram account posted new photos of the iconic dress before and after Kim, 41, wore it on Monday, June 13. Alongside the photos, the account claimed the bedazzled dress appeared to be “missing” a few crystals and others seemed to be “hanging by a thread.” There also appeared to be rips and tears along the back zipper.
Shortly after the account shared the side-by-side photos, fans rushed to the comments section to slam The Kardashians star for allegedly ruining the dress. “So sad that this has happened. I can’t believe anyone was allowed to wear this very special historical piece,” one person wrote. Another added, “So disappointing, especially when she had a replica made, there was no reason for her to try to fit into a dress that was NEVER meant for her body type.”
Marilyn wore the famous dress while singing “Happy Birthday” to then-President John F. Kennedy in 1962. While the ensemble had been preserved, Kim made headlines when she rocked the gown during the Met Gala on May 2.
“The idea really came to me after the gala in September last year. I thought to myself, what would I have done for the American theme if it had not been the Balenciaga look? What’s the most American thing you can think of? And that’s Marilyn Monroe,” the reality star told Vogue about wearing the gown to the event. “For me, the most Marilyn Monroe moment is when she sang ‘Happy Birthday,’ to JFK, it was that look.”
The SKIMS mogul admitted the dress didn’t initially fit her, so she took matters into her own hands by dropping 16 lbs in three weeks. In order to quickly lose the weight, Kim said she went on a “strict” diet and fitness regimen.
“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,” the Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum explained, noting that the dress fit after a month.
Kim faced backlash for losing weight in a short period of time to fit into the dress, though she defended the decision during an interview with The New York Times in June.
“I didn’t do anything unhealthy,” she said of the weight loss process. “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.”
The SKKN by Kim founder added, “I wasn’t saying, ‘Hey everyone, why don’t you go lose weight in a short period of time?’”
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