American history and American art should be protected, period. In our current uninspired consumer culture, where we buy and throw away at an incredible rate, preserving our past is more important than ever.
That’s why I was so upset when Kim Kardashian made the decision to wear Marilyn Monroe’s famous crystal-encrusted Happy Birthday Mr. President dress to the Met Ball in New York City last month.
Some dresses are so iconic and embedded in our American psyche that they should not be worn by anyone except the women who made them famous.
Marilyn is, of course, one of the most famous American icons (yes, even more famous than Kim herself).
She sparked her own controversy in 1965 when she wore this form-fitting dress to audition for President John F. Kennedy Jr. at his 45th birthday celebration.
It was a scandalous moment.
Designed by Bob Mackie, the dress gave the illusion that she was naked on stage as she serenaded the nation’s young, hot and very married President.
Add to the drama Marilyn’s sultry, seductive manner towards a man she’s long been accused of having a sexual affair with.
It was a scene that mixed politics and pop culture and became embedded in the American consciousness.
![Marilyn is, of course, one of the most famous American icons (yes, even more famous than Kim [above]) Herself).](https://www.spamchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MEGHAN-MCCAIN-Kim-Kardashian-trashed-Marilyn-Monroe-on-the-altar.jpg "MEGHAN MCCAIN: Kim Kardashian trashed Marilyn Monroe on the altar of our shallow culture 3")
Marilyn (right) is of course one of the most famous American icons. Yes, even more famous than Kim (left) herself
There’s a lot to unpack about this moment; the naked dress, the song, Marilyn, Kennedy and everything that happened that night and after.
Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963, ending an era of American innocence and ushering in a period of violence, political turmoil, and cynicism that has defined the modern American experience.
Marilyn died of a drug overdose at her home three months after wearing the dress in August.
And new pictures of the dress were released on Monday, showing the apparent damage done to it by Kim’s fleeting red carpet moment.
The fabric is torn and frayed, and many of the crystals had fallen off.
To put it simply, it is very damaged and a sad sight.
First and foremost, this dress is a piece of American history.
Kim’s decision to wear the dress is akin to someone wearing Judy Garland’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, which is at the Smithsonian.
(The Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Museum bought the Marilyn dress for a record $5 million in 2016 — I hope they’re happy with their investment.)
Kim swore over and over that she was extremely careful, but the proof is right before our eyes.
Before and after pictures of the Monroe dress: the fabric was torn and frayed and many of the crystals had fallen off. To put it simply, it is very damaged and a sad sight.
In videos where Kim first tries on Marilyn’s dress, museum employees can be seen wearing white gloves to stretch the fabric over Kim’s bottom.
It just didn’t fit. In fact, the dress didn’t fit her at all.
She wasn’t able to zip up the dress and instead it was tied, which is why Kim wears a fur stole around her to cover the back that is left open.
The video also features museum employees giving Kim a lock of Marilyn’s hair, which she will jokingly sleep with every night.
There’s something macabre about giving out parts of a person in exchange for clicks and clout on social media.
By all accounts, Marilyn was a lovely, gentle woman plagued by demons and used by powerful men.
The Kardashians may be America’s most famous family, but that doesn’t give them the right to trample on American history for likes on Instagram and retweets on Twitter.
It strikes me that in death, as in life, Marilyn is consumed and thrown away – destroyed on the altar of our shallow culture.
Out of respect for the legacy, Kim was asked to pay for the dress to be repaired as a goodwill gesture.
I don’t know how textile restoration works, but I’m sure something can be done.
The Kardashians may be America’s most famous family, but that doesn’t give them the right to trample on American history for likes on Instagram and retweets on Twitter.
We’re all better than that, and Kim certainly should be smarter.
Our American past is sacred, and I beg of all of us to treat it as such again.