Kim Kardashian Defends Wearing Iconic Marilyn Monroe Dress That Caused Backlash

Kim Kardashian defended her decision to wear Marilyn Monroe's iconic dress to the Met Gala this year.

The decision to allow the 41-year-old wear the dress to the Met Gala has been met with a mixed reaction online.

While some people have called Kim the best dressed of the night, others have called the decision “disrespectful”. 

Marilyn Monroe wore the dress - designed by Jean Louis - to serenade president John F. Kennedy for his 45th birthday on 19th May 1962.

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The garment has become a staple in American popular culture and people were disappointed that Kim was chosen to wear the dress.

It seems Kim anticipated some backlash, she told Access Hollywood: “I’m extremely respectful to the dress and what it means to American history. 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.”

Kim decided to pay homage to the late actress, singer and model because the theme for this year's exhibition was In America: An Anthology of Fashion, inspired by the Gilded Age.

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The Kardashians star said Marilyn is "the most American thing you can think of," in an interview with Vogue.

“For me, the most Marilyn Monroe moment is when she sang Happy Birthday to JFK, it was that look.”

The dress is stored in a temperature-controlled vault at the Ripley’s Believe Or Not museum in Orlando, Florida.

The museum chain shared a behind-the-scenes video of the SKIMS founder trying on the dress.

Watch the video below:

In the same post it was revealed that the dress will be on display at their location in Hollywood from Memorial Day Weekend at the end of May.

The Met Gala marks the opening of the annual fashion exhibition held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

This year’s gala was chaired by Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Regina King and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The Kardashians star, who attended the gala with her beau Pete Davidson, bleached her hair platinum blond and claimed she lost 16 pounds (7kg) in less than a month.