Kim Kardashian had the audacity to wear Marylin Monroe’s actual dress.
Until the Met Gala this year, Monroe’s famous dress was on display in the Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum in Orlando, Florida. It’s a historical item and really should be preserved as such.
Kim wearing the dress to the gala exposes it to many risks and elements. Many argue that it’s not only irresponsible, but irreverent. Critics say it shows a lack of respect for history and anyone who would take an interest in it.
It’s true that the dress is irreplaceable, it’s true that it preserves significant Hollywood history, but there are some compelling arguments in defense of Kim’s action.
First, Ripley’s endorsed the action and has the legal rights to the dress. Although, legal does not mean ethical or reasonable.
Some who defend Kim argue that she is actually increasing the dress’s value and history by adding to it. Also, it would be under close watch of a Ripley’s employee before and after the event. Still, the dress will undergo everyday wear from the event, slightly decreasing its quality.
According to Slate, Ripley’s did bend over backwards to protect the dress.
And to be fair, Ripley’s said it did try to protect the dress: “We basically had many conversations with Kim and her team and put a lot of requirements in place with security and with the handling of the dress,” Amanda Joiner, a vice president of licensing and publishing at Ripley’s, said to the Daily Beast. “The dress was never with Kim alone. It was always with a Ripley’s representative. We always ensured that at any time we felt that the dress was in danger of ripping or we felt uncomfortable about anything, we always had the ability to be able to say we not were going to continue with this.”
What do you think? Is Ripley’s within their rights lending out the dress? Is it a good thing? Or is this blasphemy against a historic artifact?
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