Kim Kardashian's Met Gala outfit is inspired by extreme corsetry, but fans are questioning its safety

As a Met Gala stalwart and one of the world’s most famous faces, it was inevitable that all eyes would be on Kim Kardashian as she walked the Met Gala red (or, to be precise, cream and green) carpet outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art last night (Monday 6th May).

For her 11th year attending fashion’s most talked-about event, Kim opted for a custom look from John Galliano for Maison Margiela in response to ‘The Garden of Time’ dress code: a corset-style dress with a very cinched waist that exaggerated her hourglass shape. But fans aren’t convinced the restrictive gown is safe.

The dress is a nod to Galliano’s spring 2024 Margiela Artisanal show during Paris Fashion Week, which featured 19th-century corsets and full skirts in a tribute to the romanticism of the Belle Époque era. Kim attended the haute couture, front row, alongside her mother Kris Jenner and sister Kylie Jenner.

Kim’s Met Gala gown reflected the extreme silhouettes of the period, with a tight lace bodice and sheer floral cut-out dress over the top, somewhat surprisingly teamed with a more casual grey bolero-style knit. The metallic finish of Kim’s corset only adds to its restrictive appearance.

Kim, who is renowned for her exaggerated silhouette (having famously “broken the internet” with her extreme proportions, has long peddled waist trainers. However, cosmetic surgeon and body confidence expert Dr Paul Banwell has warned of the dangers of tightly wound corsets.

One Met Gala fan commenting on X (formerly Twitter): “How is Kim Kardashian breathing? Her waist looks so small in that omg.” While another wrote, “Don’t like kim kardashian and don’t care about her but that corset thing is??? that must hurt like hell??” While a third commented: “Kim kardashian’s waist is absurd. like not to be a hater but it actually is concerning especially when ppl aspire to be like her. sorry.”

Another X user responded with the retort: "Gurl corsets been existing for centuries get some culture." While this social media user certainly has a point, should the A-list be championing corsets in 2024, particularly considering not only that they're deeply uncomfortable, but also what they represent historically?

As historian David Kunzle writes in Fashion and Fetishism, corsets were one of the "quintessential Victorian social horrors". Linked to fainting, reduced lung capacity and, in extreme cases, organ deformity, it's no exaggeration to describe extreme corsetry as a Patriachal horror. “Corsets caused indigestion, constipation, often led to fainting from breathing difficulties and even caused internal haemorrhages,” says Dr Paul Banwell remarking on the garment's dark past. He adds that in 1887, at the height of corset fashion, a list of 97 diseases caused by wearing a corset was published.

As Kunzle explains, "the forcing of young females into narrow corsets being regarded as morally and hygienically on a par with the forcing of small boys into narrow chimneys". It's not so glamorous when you put it that way.

Corsets fell out of fashion in the 1920s, but the pressure for a cinched waist remained, replaced by the less extreme, but still restrictive, girdle. Cue the second-wave feminism of the '60s and '70s, and we clapped off the corset and its later iterations for good—at least in the world outside of fashion runways and red carpets.

It feels somewhat archaic to see this restrictive item chosen by the fashion set, but then again, the corset has always been championed by the elite.

Arianna Grande's Met Gala gown paid homage to the Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion theme with its ethereal styling, but the eye is immediately drawn to her tiny waist bound in a structured bodice. Kylie Jenner walked the carpet in a strapless gown by Oscar de la Renta with a severe-looking bonded bodice contouring her shape.

Of course, it's not the first time we've seen Kim push the boundaries when it comes to exaggerated silhouettes. For 2019's Notes on Camp theme, she wore a skin-tight, latex corset dress, while 2022 saw Kim again champion the 'hourglass' ideal with Marilyn Monroe's Happy Birthday Mr President dress, originally designed by Jean Louis in 1962.

We know the Kardashians and Jenners are no strangers to advocating for unattainable beauty standards. Still, it would be refreshing to see Kim mark her 12th year at the Met Gala with a look that breaks away from outdated and—quite literally—restrictive ideals.