Happy Birthday Mister President
Discussing Marilyn, Kim, and what makes an American fashion icon a year after the infamous dress on loan.
Next Monday is the first Monday in May, that means it's time for my retrospective on Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe's dress. Spoiler alert: I loved it.
In America: An Anthology of Fashion
Naturally, the Met Gala is my favorite holiday. Unfortunately for me, not everyone respects the traditions of this holiday in the way I would like, including the guests invited to attend the big event. Often I find celebrities don’t do enough to “commit to the bit,” so to speak.
The theme of the 2022 Met was In America: An Anthology of Fashion. What did Kaia Gerber in metallic McQueen have to do with the rich and diverse history of fashion in America? I couldn’t tell you. What was American about Nicola Peltz Beckham in hot pink Valentino? Literally, I have no idea. Tom Ford just wore a Tom Ford suit but at least the man is a pillar of American fashion just by standing there.
At least Kim Kardashian nailed it. After all, what is more American than the transformation of a woman’s body and identity into a spectacle and sexual object?
I’ll tell you what: the transformation of multiple women’s bodies and identities into a spectacles and sexual objects.
From Marilyn to Kim: Imitation is the Highest Form of Flattery
It was May 1962, it was JFK’s 45th birthday celebration, and Marilyn Monroe was the headlining performer in a nude sequin gown that left very little to the imagination.
It was May 2022, it was the 74th Met Gala, and Kim Kardashian made headlines as she walked the carpet in a nude sequin gown that left very little to the imagination.
The original blonde bombshell, Marilyn Monroe has inspired decades of imitation and objectification. She represents all that America holds dear: fame, beauty, sex, and glamour. On a night meant to honor America’s contribution to the history of fashion, something would have been amiss if there were no Marilyn tributes to be found.
Who better to imitate this titan of American culture than Kim Kardashian, the woman who represents all these same concepts in our modern day understanding of media. Where Marilyn was blonde hair and a tiny waist, Kim is lip filler and BBL’s. Where Marilyn was a red lip and a white dress, Kim is airbrushed filters and reality TV. Imitation is the finest form of flattery, so they say, and these are two of the most imitated women in history.
There is nothing more American than Kim Kardashian evoking Marilyn Monroe. The American superstar is American culture. Right now, everyone on TikTok wants nails like Hailey Bieber and style like Bella Hadid. After this weekend, everyone wants a wedding like Sofia Richie. The American “It Girl” is an enduring part of the Fashion lexicon.
But where Bieber, Hadid, and Richie influence trends on a micro level, Kim and Marilyn take it macro. In the 50s, every major Hollywood studio needed a blonde bombshell of their own. Today, the Kardashians have shaped trends in plastic surgery over the better part of a decade. Kim Kardashian has become the beauty standard in the same way Marilyn once was.1
As people, we are a product of our environment, and in the modern day our environment is often the media. We seek validation and recognition, so we follow the paths laid out for us by those who have already achieved success. It is hard to be creative, and it is hard to be yourself. It is less hard to fold your identity into that of another person– especially when their likeness has already been commodified.
Controversy: All Press is Good Press
When Marilyn Monroe performed at JFK’s birthday celebration, it was risqué at best. He was the President of the United States of America, and she was his rumored mistress with a pill problem in a scandalous dress performing a sultry serenade. Yet, on my friends’ birthdays I still jokingly imitate Monroe’s rendition of “Happy Birthday to You.”
Similarly, when Kim Kardashian stepped onto the Met Gala carpet (Pete Davidson, of all people, in tow), Instagram and Twitter were abuzz. “It’s disrespectful,” they said. “She ripped it,” rumors claimed. “Who does she think she is?” people asked.
I’ll tell you who she is. She’s Kim Kardashian. She needs no explanation or introduction. She is omnipresent and inescapable. Whether you like it or not, she’s an American icon.
Would I be writing this a year later if there was no controversy around the look? Would you even remember what Kim wore and what year she wore it? Could you have picked that dress out of a lineup as the “Happy Birthday Mister President Dress” before the 2022 Met Gala?
Clothes are meant to be worn. They aren’t meant to sit in Ripley’s Believe it or Not. And fashion is supposed to make you think. It’s supposed to make you question your ideals, your values, and your comfort. It’s supposed to be referential and original all at once. It’s supposed to say something. It’s supposed to inspire impassioned disagreement. What is America if not one grand, spirited debate. Shouldn’t American fashion be the same thing?
Recommended Reading - Images of Beauty: The Media, Marilyn, and Me