As we all know by now, Kim Kardashian wore Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress on the red carpet for the 2022 Met Gala. The dress was worn by the icon to sing “Happy Birthday” to then president John F. Kennedy in 1962. Kim only wore it on the red carpet then quickly changing into a replica for the party. But that didn’t stop the online hate. And the allegation that she damaged the dress only made things worse.
The uproar of Kim donning the garment went through the roof when a Twitter account alleged that she did permanent damage to the dress. Pop Crave tweeted a side by side image of the dress before and then after Kim allegedly wore it. The tweet read, “Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress has reportedly been damaged after being worn by Kim Kardashian at the Met Gala. The dress now shows signs of tearing, and several crystals are either missing or hanging off of it.”
But Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum, which loaned the dress to the reality star, fashion icon and burgeoning business mogul, is coming to her defense. In a statement on their website, they wrote, “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.”
To back up their assertions, Ripley’s has supplied new information about the state of the dress when they acquired it in 2016m when they paid $4.8 million for the 1962 delicate beaded frock. In 2017, a report written about Marilyn’s dress already indicated it wasn’t in perfect condition. The report read in part, “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.”
Since they purchased the dress, Ripley’s has displayed it all over the world. They added, “Our mission is to both entertain and educate visitors and fans, and sparking conversations like the discourse around Marilyn Monroe’s dress does just that. No matter which side of the debate you are on, the historical importance of the dress has not been negated, but rather highlighted. A entirely new group of young people has now been introduced to the legacy of Marilyn Monroe.” As for Kim Kardashian, well, she hasn’t weighed in, but she might just be privately saying, “Uh, you’re welcome.”
Marilyn’s dress will continue to be shown by Ripley’s Hollywood location through Fall of this year.
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Photo Credit: Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com