Remember Kim Kardashian’s tiny corset from last year’s Met Gala—the one that made it look like she couldn’t breathe? Well, she actually couldn’t. The reality star has now confirmed that the extremely tight ensemble was just as uncomfortable as it looked.
The silver corset, custom-made by John Galliano, was part of a long dress featuring a lace train with floral accents.
Highlights
- Kim Kardashian admitted that she struggled to breathe in her tight Met Gala corset.
- Though Kim felt like she was "going to throw up," she believed looking good justified the sacrifice.
- She recently revealed bruises from the corset on 'The Kardashians.'
“It’s definitely a performance piece. I mean, God bless the Bridgerton cast that has to dress like this every single day. That would be so difficult,” Kim said on the latest episode of The Kardashians on Hulu.
She completed her take on the night’s “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” theme with a short gray sweater.
Kim Kardashian admitted that she couldn’t breathe in the dangerously tight corset she wore to last year’s Met Gala
Image credits: Jeff Kravitz / Getty
“I’ve never felt this way before, where I feel like I can’t breathe,” she said of the corset during a confessional.
“I can handle it for so long, but it’s like, I have to pee, I can’t breathe…I literally was dying.”
After the event, the mom of four panicked when her friend LaLa Anthony couldn’t help her out of the tight ensemble. At one point, she felt like she was "literally going to throw up."
“I can't breathe, I can't get this off, so... I was like, I'm going to die if you don't get this off of me right now. I’ve never been more uncomfortable.”
The corset was so painful that Kim almost left the prestigious gala early to change in her hotel
Image credits: Disney+
Kim was in so much pain that she considered leaving the prestigious gala early to change at her hotel.
“I was gonna sneak out right before the dinner, but then I walked by [Anna Wintour’s] table, and Anna goes, ‘Perfect, you’re here. Can you sit in my seat while I go make my rounds?’” she shared, adding that the host’s invitation made her change her mind.
Once she finally arrived at the hotel, Kim unbuttoned her corset, revealing that her lower back was purple with visible marks left by the tight garment.
Despite the damage, she believed fashion’s biggest night justified the sacrifice. When a producer asked her off-camera if the pain was worth it, she replied, "Abso-f**ing-lutely."
The silver John Galliano design was Kim’s interpretation of the theme, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion”
Image credits: Disney+
"That's just who I am,” she added. “If you look good, it's all worth it.”
The SKIMS founder’s comments sparked harsh criticism, with netizens slamming her for her “shallow” decision to prioritize style over her health.
“Looking good is worth all that. Talk about shallow,” one user said.
“Looking good is worth all that. Talk about shallow,” one user said.
“She thinks she's so cool, enduring pain and distorting your body to look pretty, good message to young girls,” wrote another critic.
“You're not supposed to wear corsets against the skin,” someone else explained. “They're always supposed to be worn over a thin layer to protect the corset, and your skin.”
On The Kardashians, Kim showed what her body looked like after wearing the extremely tight look
Image credits: Disney+
Another user expressed empathy for Kim, reflecting on how celebrities are expected to meet—and maintain—unrealistic beauty standards, especially those whose careers are built around their appearance.
“It has got to be horrendous to just constantly have to worry about what you look like. All the time. The skinniest. The prettiest. The nicest hair. The nicest skin. It’s just got to be exhausting and a burden. Like you only find your value in your reflection in the mirror.”
“It has got to be horrendous to just constantly have to worry about what you look like. All the time. The skinniest. The prettiest. The nicest hair. The nicest skin. It’s just got to be exhausting and a burden. Like you only find your value in your reflection in the mirror.”
“Why would you torture yourself like this?” another netizen asked. ”Omg it would’ve been so painful!”
Kim previously sparked controversy when she revealed that she had lost 16 pounds (approx. 7 kg) in just three weeks to fit into a gown originally worn by Marilyn Monroe in 1962 to sing Happy Birthday to John F. Kennedy.
When asked whether the pain was worth it, she replied, “If you look good, it's all worth it”
Image credits: Disney+
The Kardashians star donned the iconic champagne dress at the 2022 Met Gala. "It was such a challenge. It was like a [movie] role. I was determined to fit [into] it. I haven't had carbs or sugar in about three weeks,” she described.
Marilyn is said to have paid designer Jean-Louis $1,440 for the custom gown, first sold at auction in 1999 for over a million dollars as part of the sale of her estate by Christie’s, as per Vogue.
The gown then sold for $4.8 million at Julien’s Auctions in 2016 and was later acquired by Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum, which lent it to the media personality.
Kim was previously blasted for losing 16 pounds (approx. 7 kg) in just three weeks to fit into a dress originally worn by Marilyn Monroe
Image credits: kimkardashian
Kim explained that Ripley’s did not initially believe she could fit into the gown.
“No one trusted us; for years, they would never send samples. And then once I would get to Paris and try on the samples, they would be like, 'Oh, wait, she actually fits in our stuff.' So I don't know how to convince the guy who owns the original Marilyn dress that I'm a shapeshifter.”
She also faced criticism for wearing the piece of history in the first place, with some suggesting that she may have stretched the fabric, as the gown was custom-made for Marilyn.
However, according to Ripley’s, Kim did not ruin the dress. The museum stated that the 44-year-old “did not, in any way, damage the garment in the short amount of time it was worn at the Met Gala.”
"This is not healthy behavior," one netizen commented
Image credits: bizzyann2
Image credits: Timeless274
Image credits: Melaniet74
Image credits: BigSexyy2ys
Image credits: LisaGon70173044
Image credits: bubbabailey72
Image credits: oatmatchabae
Image credits: nichellelopez1
Image credits: xtraSpiceylam
Image credits: Melaniet74
Image credits: EQUIPTsmif