Why I am upset with Kim Kardashian promoting diet culture

Trigger Warning: Mentions diet culture and weight loss information

You’ve probably seen the photos of Kim Kardashian at this year’s Met Gala. The dress code for the evening was ‘Gilded Glamour and White Tie’ with the theme of the evening of course being ‘In America: An Anthology of Fashion’. Kim walked the Met steps that evening wearing none other than Marilyn Monroe’s iconic golden gown which she wore when she sang Happy Birthday to J.F. Kennedy.

This outfit choice sparked controversy for more than one reason.

Firstly, people were unsure about whether Kim actually had the authority to be wearing such an iconic garment. The dress (which was bought for $5 million dollars) was on loan to Kim from a museum chain (Ripleys Believe It Or Not) where it had been stored in an environment that had been temperature-controlled since 2016.

Do the Kardashians and Marilyn Monroe belong in the same category as each other anyway?

However before I had even seen any photos of Kim’s infamous dress from the Met Gala, a TikTok came up on my for you page. It was an interview clip from the Met Gala where Kim was explaining to the interviewer that she had lost an extreme amount of weight in a very short time period in order to fit into the dress for this evening. I genuinely couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

I’m not going to include the exact quote from Kim in this article because I truly believe that it was an incredibly damaging and triggering statement, especially coming from a celebrity that has an incredible amount of influence over people.

She also took to Instagram after the event to show the huge pizza and doughnut party she was having in her hotel. She filmed the food and put it on her Instagram story, reiterating the fact that she had been on an extreme diet leading up to the Met Gala.

I am so saddened that Kim herself felt as if she needed to go on an extreme diet for the Met Gala and so deeply disappointed in her for not thinking about how this statement would affect other people.

It raises the question - is Kim losing touch with her followers and fans? Recently she has also been under scrutiny for saying in a YouTube video for Variety Magazine ‘Get your f****** a** up and work'. It seems like nobody wants to work these days.’ Without acknowledging that sometimes meritocracy does not favour everybody. I always used to like Kim but recently I’m struggling to remember why. It seems like what little relatability she used to have is slipping away with every interview she does.

I’m just not wholly convinced that she understands the power of her influence over people. My heart breaks for the people who have seen this interview clip from the Met Gala and believe that this sort of extreme dieting for special events is normal and justified behaviour.

I hoped in 2022 we would be moving away from this toxic behaviour and swiftly towards celebrating healthy bodies. Whether you are a Kardashian or not, saying things like this is upsetting to many people. I dread to think what might have happened if I had watched this clip just a few years ago when I was impressionable and looking up to celebrities like Kim. Especially as this comes after the UK government’s decision to put calorie labelling on menus. It feels as if the body positivity movement has been put on hold and this terrifies me.

A gentle reminder to all of you, if you have a big event coming up or just in your day to day life, remember that clothes are supposed to fit you - not the other way around.

Edited by Michelle Almeida