How Marilyn Monroe's Estate Really Feels About Kim Kardashian's Met Gala Appearance
If there are two people who provoke strong feelings among the inhabitants of today's internet, they are Marilyn Monroe and Kim Kardashian. Most of the online commentary about Monroe and her legacy range from the merely positive to fawning — and it's well known to Kardashian-Jenner scholars that the Skims founder counts herself as one of Monroe's biggest fangirls. Opinions about Kardashian on the other hand, are, to put it kindly, more mixed. This is why some of social media's reaction to her wearing one of Monroe's most iconic dresses to the Met Gala was pretty harsh.
Some angry Twitter users accused Kardashian of disrespecting Monroe's legacy by wearing the dress, while, according to the Los Angeles Times, professional fashion historians and conservators were horrified that the actual dress could have gotten damaged by Kardashian wearing it. The reality star also told Vogue that she went on an extreme diet in order to be able to fit into the dress at all, causing an additional backlash from commenters (including "Riverdale" star Lili Reinhart), who accused Kardashian of promoting unhealthy standards of beauty and disordered eating.
So you'd think that Monroe's estate would also have a thing or two to say.
Marilyn Monroe's estate approved of Kim Kardashian wearing the dress
For the Met Gala, Kim Kardashian donned the same slinky, gold dress that Marilyn Monroe made famous when she sang her famously sultry "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy. The actual dress is technically the property of Ripley's Believe It Or Not, not Monroe's estate. That means Kardashian wasn't obligated — nor did she — ask the estate for permission before wearing the dress.
Yet despite this detail, according to TMZ, they were fine with it. The president of Authentic Brands Group, the company which runs Monroe's estate, Nick Woodhouse, told TMZ that they think Monroe would have been happy to see Kardashian in her iconic dress and they're happy that this fashion moment is once again in the spotlight.
On her Instagram, Kardashian thanked Ripley's for "giving me the opportunity to debut this evocative piece of fashion history for the first time since the late Marilyn Monroe wore it." She added, "I am forever grateful for this moment." Interestingly, the Ripley's team also gave Kardashian an unexpected gift to commemorate the occasion — a lock of Monroe's hair. She jokingly responded, "Wow, this is sleeping with me every night."