Kim Kardashian Slayed The Marilyn Monroe Dress, But At What Cost?

Just like every year, this year too many celebrities walked the carpet at the Met Gala with their jaw-dropping looks. Blake Lively, Kylie Jenner, Olivia Rodrigo, and many others really took it up a notch with their outfits. While the internet couldn’t get enough of Blake Lively’s Versace gown, another celebrity’s outfit caused a lot of uproar on social media, but not really for a good reason. Kim Kardashian starred in the famous President JFK gown worn by former actor Marilyn Monroe.

 

 

While the gown was worn to pay homage to the President and caught many eyeballs, it was the efforts taken by Kim K to fit into the American-themed dress that was criticized. She lost 16lbs in just three weeks, which was shocking but also revealed the toxic diet culture that exists in the fashion industry. In an interview with Vogue, Kim spoke about the strict diet and exercise she adopted to fit in the dress.

 

“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. I didn’t starve myself, but I was so strict.”

 

In a time where ‘body positivity and ‘feeling comfortable in your own skin’ is trying to gain momentum, toxic diet practices such as these instantly break confidence. Such trends also make you desire unreal body and weight standards.

 

London-based certified dietician, Camilla Dalla Stella says, “Any girl following celebrities who brag about their weight loss by unfair means, such as starving or wearing shapewear to mold their bodies, will automatically impact their self-image and develop a low self-esteem and eating disorders.”

 

According to Camilla, the body is like a machine, and in order for it to work, we need food that provides energy. “If you cut one of the three sources of energy (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) you need to compensate for that energy with other foods. If we don’t compensate, our body can have a hormonal imbalance and disturbance the entire body. This is a very common thing to occur.”

 

She also states that just unhealthy diets could also lead to acne, hair loss, binge eating, anorexia, frustration, and anxiety. “All these toxic trends are short term and as much as people want it to be a long-term thing, it doesn’t exist. People end up not eating as they are afraid of the food because the fashion industry manipulates them into thinking that certain foods could damage the way they look or their career”.

 

Camilla is accepting of the fact that people hope to look a particular way and lose weight, but she teaches her clients how to eat and still lose the fat, not becoming sick, because what industry asks them is to become sick.

 

The Fashion industry is a liberating one when it comes to creativity and experimenting with clothing and other accessories, but it also tends to dictate one’s appearance and mold their body accordingly. This in turn creates a very toxic environment and raises a lot of complex issues.