Over the years, many celebrities have gone down in the history books as having iconic fashion moments and recently, some are trying to remake them. From Marilyn Monroe’s iconic “Happy Birthday Mr. President” dress to Princess Diana’s Attallah Cross pendant, these items are coming back into pop culture. But why are they suddenly appearing now? This rise is in part due to the one and only Kim Kardashian.

At last year’s Met Gala, Kardashian turned heads in Monroe’s dress but received an abundance of backlash over her outfit. She was criticized for not only losing a considerable amount of weight to fit into the dress but also damaging it. Since Kardashian only lost the weight for the dress, people wonder if that will send the wrong message to young girls. Not only did she undergo an extreme diet, losing over 16 pounds in three weeks, but she also went against her brand’s body positive message. Kardashian continued to stand her ground over the weight loss issue as she continued to lose more weight after the Met Gala, but extreme diets can still be harmful to young, impressionable viewers. Using a replica of the outfit would have been more beneficial as she would not have had to lose weight, and the damage on the dress that has been reported would not have happened. 

Kardashian made the front page once again when she bought yet another piece of fashion history, Diana’s cross pendant. Once again she was criticized for taking another classic piece but not quite in the same way. Instead of being criticized in the news, people took to Instagram and Twitter making memes out of Kardashian’s purchase by composing fake headlines that said she bought various random bits of pop culture.

Despite all of this, the problem doesn’t lay in Kardashian’s purchases but in the companies that are selling or renting the articles of clothing. Historic pieces like the dress and pendant are not just something to be worn for an event; they should be preserved and taken care of in museums. To stop pieces of fashion history from being ruined, influencers like Kardashian can instead have replicas made. This will not only help preserve the items but also keep celebrities from losing dangerous amounts of weight and sending an unhealthy image to young impressionable teens.

Buying vintage and antique clothes can be a fun way to add to someone’s wardrobe, but when it comes down to iconic fashion items, they should stay off the red carpet and in the museums.

Contact Adeline Gruen at [email protected]