Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala 2021 Outfit - What does it mean?
The Met Gala marks the opening night of The Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibit and is a fundraiser dedicated to New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. This year, the Costume Institute hosted its first two-part exhibition, celebrating part one, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” on Monday, September 13th. The event attracts A-list celebrity guests and is known for its tradition to dress on theme with the exhibit. This year the 400 guests dressed on theme with “In America,” celebrating the many cultural, political, and social events that have taken place during the pandemic. Critics have called attention to the sensitivity of the theme, questioning if it was appropriate as the nation recovers from an ongoing pandemic, recent events in Afghanistan, and the aftermath of the Trump era. Regardless, the night gathered a variety of artistic interpretations of America. While some variation of a Hollywood tribute was a typical outfit choice amongst guests, some saw this as an opportunity to use fashion to express more political views of the theme. The general opinion of the gala afterward was varied, leaving many with a what-the-heck-just-happened attitude towards the event.
Nicki Minaj, Met Gala 2021
Whether it was AOC sporting a dress reading “Tax The Rich” at an event full of A-list celebrities or Timothee Chalamet rocking a pair of converse on the red carpet, the night was full of questionable moments. One look, in particular, sent fans into a frenzy and didn't take too long to blow up on social media. Despite her face being completely covered, Kim Kardashian’s head-to-toe black Balenciaga bodysuit caught the eyes of viewers everywhere. The 40-year-old Skims founder took to the Internet the next day to address the questions from fans regarding her outfit and the meaning behind it.
Spectators were quick to try and figure out the outfit’s deeper relation to the theme “In America,” assuming that the dress drew from the obvious inspiration of Kanye’s recent release of Donda. Indeed Kardashian’s ensemble matches West’s all-black album cover art; however, fans knew that there had to be something more. Kim responded to the influx of curiosity from her fans with an Instagram post captioned: “What’s more American than a T-shirt head to toe?”. But if you’re asking me, I would say there’s nothing more American than Kim Kardashian.
It seems as though everyone has had their own interpretation of what the outfit means in terms of the theme. Some believe the outfit was representative of Kim’s failing marriage with Kanye West or a message of social anonymity in the age of social media. I think the look reflected American beauty standards and the media’s removal of humanity from the female figure. Kardashian has been recognized for her undeniably gorgeous hourglass body, yet just like any other female celebrity, the media has scrutinized her body shape and numerous plastic surgery operations. While some have argued that the Kardashian clan has been responsible for creating false body standards throughout the 21st century, Kim’s silhouette alone represents a cultural phenomenon that Americans tend to either love or hate. This look proved that whether Kim showed her face or not, she would receive attention and criticism for whatever she does.
Kim Kardashian, Met Gala 2021
The American media is notorious for harassing celebrities and putting any imperfection on blast for the world to see, but they particularly like to target female celebrities. Time and time again, female bodies take upfront page tabloid covers with dehumanizing headlines. Kim’s Met Gala 2021 outfit perfectly reflects how the media extracts the female figure from the female herself for spectator purposes. The female body is then used as an item to be gazed upon and watched, despite its agency belonging to the female owner. This theory may seem redundant, seeing that her figure is the only thing to be observed in the look, but it’s almost as if that’s the whole point. In watching Kim’s silhouette solely at the Gala, viewers adopt the same lens of the female body ingrained in American media.
Whether Kim’s look confused you or left you curious, it highlights the shock and awe of Avante Garde fashion at the end of the day. Even though its relation to the theme is still predominantly undecided, the controversy it has started amongst fashion critics and enthusiasts is just as reflective of American culture as the A-list celebrity wearing it.