Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala Look— A Reflection on American Culture

Kim Kardashian walked the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of art faceless. Her opaque Balenciaga look for the Met Gala covered her entirely, with only her hair sticking out. The black silhouette took the media by storm. 

For the 2021 Met Gala, celebrating the opening of , “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” pop icons, models, artists, and athletes were asked to display their understanding of what it means to be an American. Kim’s monochromic bodysuit sparked many question, the biggest one being,. Could this be Kim’s personal protest to the media that has sexualized her for decades? 

The media has heavily sexualized Kardashian, and continues to do so, ever since her rise to fame in 2007. News headlines highlight her latest cosmetic alteration, photoshoot, and instagram posts while constantly picking her apart. Kim’s body is often the subject of criticism, criticism that many believe fuels the biases against femininity. Due to the fact that Kardashian’s body has been such a focal point throughout her fame, people believe it powers an unprecedented level of cosmetic grooming. Regardless of opinions, there is a belief that Kardashian’s intention at the Met Gala was to mask her heavily scrutinized body. 

Based on a study conducted at University of Buffalo, “on average, 83% of women featured in the magazine were sexualized, in contrast to 17% of men. The same study suggested that within those statistics, women were 1000% more likely to be featured in ‘hyper-sexualized images’” (The Chronicle). With the prominence of social media in American culture, the biases against women have become heavily normalized. Beauty standards are blatant, placing unrealistic expectations on many young girls. This is a toxic system, which is growing rapidly, and is placing people under unnecessary microscopes. 

  “For someone who is always criticized for being overly sexual, Kim showed that she can cover every square inch of her skin and still find a way to be criticized and ridiculed” (Twitter). Is this American culture? Kardashian’s Met Gala look reflects how no matter the circumstances of the attire, her body remains a subject of criticism.