For pop culture, the month of May really started off with the 2022 Met Gala. Obviously, the entirety of the Internet had their eyes on this event, with everyone looking forward to seeing the best, worst, and “meh” outfits for the annual event. The theme for this year’s Met Gala was “Gilded Glamour”, meaning everything and anything that speaks wealth, glamour, and definitely excess.
Clearly, one specific person undeniably did something excessive just for the “world’s most fashionable night.” Bet you already know who this is without mention, but we’ll mention their name anyway.
Kim Kardashian, a frequently invited guest to the Met Gala whose looks are always some of the most highly anticipated ones, surprised everyone as she wore Marilyn Monroe’s iconic “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” crystal-embellished dress. Kardashian wore the original just for a few minutes to walk the Met Gala’s red carpet, and later on, changed into a replica of the dress.
In an interview with Vogue, the reality TV star and business mogul revealed that she went on an extreme diet and lost almost 8 kg just to fit into the dress. “It was this or nothing,…I would wear a sauna suit twice a day, run on the treadmill, completely cut out all sugar and all carbs, and just eat the cleanest veggies and protein,” said Kardashian. She had also mentioned that she didn’t starve herself and was merely extremely strict with her diet.
Of course, the Internet didn’t take this reveal lightly and called out the famous reality star for her dangerous diet regime for the Met Gala.
Lili Reinhart also criticized Kim’s comments about her crash dieting 3 weeks before the Met Gala, and her comments were absolutely spot on. The Riverdale actor, who had already spoken in the past about her struggles with her body image, condemned Kim Kardashian’s extreme diet, calling her out by saying, “To openly admit to starving yourself for the sake of the Met Gala, when you know very well that millions of young men and women are looking up to you and listening to your every word.”
Reinhart also called on her audience to “please stop supporting these stupid, harmful celebrities whose entire image revolves around their bodies.” And she was an absolute queen for this take.
https://twitter.com/ivyorchards/status/1521641327053651968?s=20&t=_MKgwyg6K87_QFceJwNkFQ
Lili Reinhart calls out Kim Kardashian after she boasted about losing 16 pounds in three weeks for the #MetGala:
“The ignorance is other-worldly and disgusting. Please stop supporting these stupid, harmful celebrities whose entire image revolves around their bodies.” pic.twitter.com/O2MVqYCKOg
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) May 4, 2022
lili reinhart has been doing this for YEARS… kim kardashian stans need to sit down pic.twitter.com/v1ykeRenya
— tia ♡ (@barchiesorigin) May 4, 2022
Lili Reinhart doesn’t care that Kim kardashian lost weight for fit in a dress, she’s just mad because Kim made public how she lost pounds and she has a big influence on social media maybe people with Eat Disorder can take this as an advice, like a tip
— who cares (@thebaddasbitch) May 4, 2022
Reactions to Lili Reinhart’s comments were mixed, with others thanking her for taking her stand and others asking her to mind her own business. Clearly, those telling her to just keep her mouth shut don’t understand the implications and dangers of what Kim is promoting: extreme dieting, eating disorders, and body image issues.
Well, what can we do when Kim Kardashian and her entire family are just a bustling group of trendsetters, especially in the standards of beauty we can see at present?
A whole lot of people, especially the younger generation, look up to celebrities as role models and oftentimes prefer listening to them instead of listening to their close relatives and loved ones. Because of their reach, saying and having harmful takes on topics like mental health, body image, self-esteem, and other things can have a huge impact on their audiences.
Celebrities, in this regard, have to be more responsible with how they’re presenting themselves and what they’re encouraging their audiences to do. What Kim Kardashian has been boasting about ever since her individual fame has boosted her up the social media hierarchy is practically toxic and unattainable—her body shape, workout routine, diets, and all that are impossible to achieve with just a simple workout and a healthy lifestyle.
Because of people promoting the idea of suffering and going through extremities just to achieve the body you want like Kim Kardashian, social media has become a cesspool filled with unrealistic beauty standards that are harmful to everyone struggling with trying to love their bodies. The body positivity movement is already trying to encourage everyone to accept and appreciate their bodies and to love themselves, but because of the influence of such celebrities, the efforts of the body positivity movement seem to be drowned out by the glorification of dieting, weight loss, and the idealized “hourglass” body shape.
Lili Reinhart was right for (indirectly) calling Kim K stupid—her career may have started because of her body, but she could have grown out of that association and made herself known more for other things, not for creating an unattainable standard of beauty that can only be achieved with a lot of money.
Other POP! stories you might like:
Kim K photoshop fail: Sending the wrong image on body positivity
What we can learn from Billie Eilish getting body-shamed on social media
The Met Gala 2022 memefication: Twitter pokes fun at celebrities’ outfits