“It was designed for her.
Costume historians and conservationists decried the unfortunate precedent it would set and the potential damage it could cause.
Mackie also echoes historians' concerns that wearing the gown was undoubtably damaging to its preservation and structural integrity.
Kim Kardashian at the 2022 Met Gala; Marilyn Monroe in the same Jean-Louis gown in 1962.Kevin Mazur/MG22/Getty Images; Cecil Stoughton/AP/Shutterstock
Malone says there are striking similarities between Kardashian and Monroe, however.
“Of course, this was very much a publicity stunt that worked for Kim Kardashian.
Marilyn Monroe was someone who also loved to create sensation, as she did with that naked dress.
Also, they are women who have changed the ideal beauty of the moment.
Marilyn Monroe, when she came in her curves became very popular during the 1950s.
And we see a lot of young women vying to look like Kim Kardashian.
For better or worse, she’s changed the ideal body shape for women.”
But she wanted to be loved for her soul, not her body.
She wanted to be understood and respected as an intellectual, a thinker, and a performer.
Malone ponders these questions.
“Marilyn Monroe is just such a mess of contradictions,” she reflects.
“She’s not easy to place in a box and that’s why she has that appeal.
I don’t know what Kim Kardashian sees in Marilyn herself or how much she knows about her history.
