Kim Kardashian faces backlash AGAIN after NEW images emerge revealing further ‘damage’ to Marilyn Monroe’s iconic ‘Happy Birthday Mr. President’ dress – including a RIPPED strap – after star wore it to the Met Gala
- Images and video alleging to show the dress at Ripley’s Believe It of Not! were posted to Instagram on June 14 by Darrell Rooney and Diet Prada
- In the video, the right back strap of the gown can be seen with a visible tear in it
- Comes after The Marilyn Monroe Collection shared ‘before and after’ photos of the dress at the museum’s Hollywood location to highlight alleged damage
- The account, which is run by historian and collector Scott Fortner, claimed the gown had ‘missing crystals’ while others were ‘left hanging by a thread’
- Kardashian, 41, was loaned the gown by officials at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! to briefly wear on the Met Gala red carpet before she changed into a replica
- Monroe wore the custom Jean Louis gown to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to then-President John F. Kennedy on May 19, 1962
Kim Kardashian is facing backlash once again for allegedly ‘damaging’ Marilyn Monroe’s iconic ‘Happy Birthday Mr. President’ dress – as new video and images emerged claiming to show further rips and tears to the gown after the star wore it to this year’s Met Gala red carpet.
A video shared online by Instagram user Darrell Rooney on Tuesday – which was then reposted by fashion-focused account Diet Prada – claimed to show the dress on display at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in Hollywood, where it was taken after Kardashian, 41, loaned it for the Met Gala on May 2.
The clip, which shows the dress on a mannequin inside a glass display case, features close-up footage of the back right strap, which has a visible tear in it; Marilyn Monroe fans are now claiming that this damage was sustained as a result of the dress being transported to New York and then worn by Kardashian on the red carpet.
‘Notice the damage to the right strap in the back of Marilyn Monroe’s 1962 gown,’ Darrell wrote while sharing a video of the dress – which was famously worn by the Some Like It Hot actress when she sang happy birthday to then-President John F. Kennedy.
Kim Kardashian, 41, has been accused of causing ‘irreversible’ damage to the strap and back area of Marilyn Monroe’s iconic gown after she wearing it to the Met Gala last month
New images and video that were allegedly taken of the dress (pictured left before it was worn by Kardashian) while it is on display at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! show the 1962 gown with a visible tear at the back of the right strap (right)
A tear can clearly been seen in a video that was shared by Instagram user Darrell Rooney – who says he captured the clip at the museum’s Hollywood location, where it is currently on display
In another post highlighting the stretched fabric, he wrote: ‘Look at the damage caused by KK. Irreversible. Marilyn Monroe’s 1962 gown has multiple tatters now.’
The posts prompted an outpouring of rage from Monroe fans – many of whom were quick to bash Kardashian and Ripley’s in the comments section.
‘Ripleys don’t deserve the dress. They’ve proved they have no integrity & lack the professional skills to maintain historical artifacts of value,’ one person wrote.
‘Can [Kardashian] be sued? For damaging the dress?’ asked another, adding: ‘This is absolutely disgusting. I am so upset she ruined a beautiful piece of history tailored just for one queen and one queen only…. MARILYN.’
‘She somehow thought that wearing that dress was going to elevate her, as she so desperately wants to be in the league of the likes of MM,’ one user chimed in.
‘She tried to place her in perpetuity by linking herself to MM. But she’ll go down in history as an egotistical individual who in order to get more attention destroyed one of MM most precious possessions.’
Followers also shared their rage over the fact Kardashian’s voice can be heard playing through a speaker in the background of the video, seemingly indicating that the reality star’s use of the dress is now part of the Ripley’s display.
In the audio recording, the Skims founder can be heard explaining that she knew it was a ‘special’ moment to have been granted permission to wear the dress.
However, Rooney took issue with Kardashian’s words as he posted another image of the damaged back area and stated: ‘“So, I knew if anyone were to take the best care, of this dress and understand the importance of it, it would be me” KK. These words play out on the video as you observe the damage done to MM’s gown.’
‘They actually have Kim’s voice over the loudspeaker?’ a user responded.
The new video comes after The Marilyn Monroe Collection shared photos of the dress on Instagram Monday, claiming it now has ‘missing crystals’ and some were ‘left hanging by a thread.’
Those viral images were taken by Chad Michael Morrisette at the museum’s Hollywood location on June 12, according to the account run by historian and collector Scott Fortner.
‘So much for keeping “the integrity of the dress and the preservation.” @ripleysbelieveitornot, was it worth it?’ read one caption mocking a statement Ripley’s had released about the reality star borrowing the dress.
The Marilyn Monroe Collection shared ‘before and after’ photos of the dress on display at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! to show the alleged damage
Kardashian was loaned the gown by officials at the museum, where the 60-year-old dress has been stored in a temperature-controlled environment since it was bought for a record-breaking $5 million in 2016.
‘Great care was taken to preserve this piece of pop culture history,’ Ripley’s said in May.
‘With input from garment conservationists, appraisers, and archivists, the garment’s condition was top priority. Believe It or Not! no alterations were to be made to the dress and Kim even changed into a replica after the red carpet!’
Hundreds of fans took to the comments to point out the alleged damage in the ‘before and after’ photos shared by the Marilyn Monroe Collection, though there was no way to confirm the validity of the images.
‘Missing so many crystals and those tears,’ one person wrote. ‘What a disaster!!’
Now viral images were allegedly taken by ChadMichael Morrisette at the museum’s Hollywood location on June 12
The account, which is run by historian and collector Scott Fortner, claimed the gown had ‘missing crystals’ and some were ‘left hanging by a thread’
Images shared by Fortner claim to show the dress with several crystals missing from the back of the design
‘Not only the stretching around the zipper, but if you look at the upper-ish left side, there are several crystals missing!’ another added.
‘Damage has been done, and it can’t be fixed,’ someone else griped.
‘The fabric is torn. Imagine what could have happened to it if Kim had worn the dress even longer. I’m so sad to see this.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to representatives for Kardashian and Ripley’s Believe It or Not! for comment.
Kardashian was the first person to don the gown since it was worn by Monroe in 1962. She admitted she lost 16 pounds in three weeks to fit into the dress, but she was still unable to zip it.
Monroe wore the custom Jean Louis gown to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to then-President John F. Kennedy on May 19, 1962
Kardashian lost a total of 16 pounds to fit into the gown made for specifically for Monroe to wear to serenade the president
The reality star added a white fur shawl to the look to hide that it was open in the back. She only wore the original dress for her red carpet appearance and changed into a replica before making her way into the Met Gala.
Speaking to Vogue about her iconic ensemble, the reality star insisted that she would never risk ‘any damage’ to the gown, and therefore took steps to ensure that she had a backup option before heading into the event itself.
‘I’m extremely respectful to the dress and what it means to American history,’ she said. ‘I would never want to sit in it or eat in it or have any risk of any damage to it, and I won’t be wearing the kind of body makeup I usually do.’
Fortner was among a long list of fashion historians and costume experts who have decried the decision to allow the delicate piece to be brought out of its carefully preserved storage.
‘No one should have reworn this dress,’ he told the New York Post last month. ‘It’s hard because [Kardashian] is one of the most influential people in the world.
The 60-year-old dress has been stored in a temperature-controlled environment since it was bought for a record-breaking $5 million in 2016
‘Great care was taken to preserve this piece of pop culture history,’ Ripley’s said in May. ‘With input from garment conservationists, appraisers, and archivists, the garment’s condition was top priority’
‘If it was up to me, I would not have allowed it simply because of the importance of the piece in American cultural history,’ he added. ‘But let me be clear, this is nothing to do with Kim Kardashian.’
Famed designer Bob Mackie, 82, also slammed the decision to allow Kardashian to wear the gown to the Met Gala.
He was just 23 years old when he sketched the original design for the dress while working as an assistant to fashion legend Jean Louis, who created the gown especially for Monroe to wear to serenade President Kennedy on May 19, 1962.
‘I thought it was a big mistake,’ he told Entertainment Weekly. ‘[Marilyn] was a goddess. A crazy goddess, but a goddess. She was just fabulous.
‘Nobody photographs like that. And it was done for her. It was designed for her. Nobody else should be seen in that dress.’
Kardashian was the first person to don the gown since it was worn by Monroe in 1962. She wrote it briefly on the red carpet before changing into a replica
‘I tried it on and it didn’t fit me, and so I looked at them and said give me like three weeks, and I had to lose 16 pounds, down today, to be able to fit this,’ she said during a red carpet livestream
Kardashian visited the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not museum in Hollywood weeks and posed for pictures with the dress weeks after she wore it on the red carpet
Kardashian not only came under heavy fire for risking damage to the gown by wearing it, but she was also accused of promoting unhealthy body standards after detailing her extreme weight loss to fit into it.
The star said she cried when she realized she didn’t fit into the dress during a first try-on, explaining that she went on to lose weight just so she could model the dress for mere minutes on the red carpet.
‘I had this idea to put it on and to try it on, and they came with armed guards and gloves. I tried it on and it didn’t fit me, and so I looked at them and said give me like three weeks, and I had to lose 16 pounds, down today, to be able to fit this,’ she said during a red carpet livestream.
‘It was such a challenge. It was like a role, I was determined to fit it.’
Kim later told Vogue that she went on a ruthlessly strict diet in order to wear the dress to the Met Gala, admitting she hadn’t eaten ‘carbs and sugar in three weeks.’
‘I would wear a sauna suit twice a day, run on the treadmill, completely cut out all sugar and all carbs, and just eat the cleanest veggies and protein,’ she said. ‘I didn’t starve myself, but I was so strict.’
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