Kim Kardashian Calls Met Gala Weight Loss Backlash a Double Standard

Photo credit: Gotham - Getty Images
Photo credit: Gotham - Getty Images
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There are few things Kim Kardashian isn't criticized for—one day it's her fashion choices, another day her love life, another day her weight loss.

Recently, the SKIMS founder bragged about having lost 16 pounds to fit into Marilyn Monroe's "Happy birthday, Mr. President" dress for the Met Gala. And not only did fans have thoughts on her wearing the iconic piece, but they also weren't happy about her allegedly promoting crash dieting.

Now in her ice-blonde, happily-coupled, Balenciaga model era, Kardashian is responding to the criticism.

"It was a roller coaster of emotions," she told Allure. "To even find the dress was a feat, and then to get them to allow me to wear the dress was another feat. You have [to wear] gloves and there are guards and you had to put down special paper. I think [the dresser] was shaking because if anything rips, if anything goes wrong, you know? This is Marilyn’s dress. And it absolutely did not fit."

She said two weeks before the gala she was 10 pounds down "and I was so proud of myself. Then I got down 15 and it fit. I couldn’t believe it."

Kardashian said she consulted experts and worked really hard on her body and diet for those few weeks in order to fit into her gala look—just like actors do when they need to fit into a certain role. So, when people accused her of promoting an unhealthy lifestyle, she found it hypocritical.

"If I was starving and doing it really unhealthy, I would say that, of course, that’s not a good message. But I had a nutritionist, I had a trainer. I have never drunk more water in my life. I don’t see the criticism for other people when they lost weight for roles—they are [considered] geniuses for their craft," she said. "There are so many things out there that are so not accurate and not true."

Photo credit: Gotham - Getty Images
Photo credit: Gotham - Getty Images

And though she did keep things healthy when it came to her weight loss, she was instructed to eat real meat rather than her usual plant-based diet during those weeks, and said, "Psoriasis broke out over my body and I got psoriatic arthritis, so I couldn’t really move my hands. It was really painful, and I had to go to a rheumatologist who put me on a steroid. I was freaking out." She said that after the gala she cut out the meat again, and now "it’s calmed down."

Kardashian has been in the spotlight for about half of her life, and while she admits she cares about how she looks "more than 90% of the people on this planet," she is taking a more carefree approach to life these days—doing the work to continue growing her companies, spending time with her four kids and those she loves, and paying less attention to the negativity.

"I think I’ve always just been the underdog," she said. "Being on a reality show and that’s not respected. Feeling like I need to work harder to show you guys that I’m not the person you think."

She did famously get temporarily "canceled" after she made certain comments about how hard people should work. But after briefly addressing the remarks and apologizing, she jumped back into action, launched skincare line SKKN, made her debut in her family's new Hulu show, and walked the Balenciaga Couture show in Paris.

She's killing it, and she knows it. But, she said, if the fame and success disappeared overnight, she would still be OK.

"It would be amazing to retire being Kim K and just be a lawyer. But if it all went away, I would be just as happy," Kardashian said. "I would want people to walk away and be like, 'She was a good person, and she did some good things.'"

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