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Influencers slam Kim Kardashian's 16-pound weight loss for the Met Gala: 'So toxic'

Kim Kardashian is being called out for 'toxic' weight loss admission to fit into her 2022 Met Gala look. (Image via Getty Images)
Kim Kardashian is being called out for 'toxic' weight loss admission to fit into her 2022 Met Gala look. (Image via Getty Images)

As the Met Gala red carpet drew to a close on Monday night, Kim Kardashian made headlines for arriving in a sparkling skin-tight gown once worn by Marilyn Monroe.

Prior to Monday night's events, the dress had been stored in a darkened temperature-controlled vault at Ripley's Believe It Or Not! museum in Orlando, Fla. And while getting her hands on the dress was hard enough, slipping into it proved to be even more difficult.

Despite granted permission to borrow the dress for the prestigious event, Kardashian wasn't able to make any alterations or tailor the look to her proportions. So when the dress didn't fit during the initial fitting, instead of looking for another dress to wear to the gala, Kardashian decided to drop 16 pounds in three weeks.

Kim Kardashian wore a vintage Bob Mackie gown originally worn by Marilyn Monroe to the 2022 Met Gala. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images)
Kim Kardashian wore a vintage Bob Mackie gown originally worn by Marilyn Monroe to the 2022 Met Gala. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images)

"I had to lose 16 pounds to fit into it," Kardashian told Vogue. "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...I didn’t starve myself, but I was so strict."

The Skims entrepreneur added that the Ripley’s team "didn’t believe" she could lose the weight, but the "challenge" made her even more committed.

While the move truly broke the internet, body positive influencers believe that this kind of behaviour feeds into diet culture and can be triggering to anyone who has suffered from disordered eating.

One such influencer is body confidence and self-acceptance advocate Alex London, who wrote a heartfelt Instagram post calling Kardashian's weight loss "toxic and disordered."

London acknowledged that Kardashian and her famous family are "products of their own environment" and allegedly exhibit "damaging body image behaviours." However, the influencer questioned whether or not Kardashian is aware that talking openly about dropping a "huge amount of weight" could potentially be harmful to others.

"If a dress doesn’t fit you, either get it or altered so it does or get a new dress. No dress is worse starving yourself for and compromising your relationship with food," she wrote. "Also, that is an incredibly unhealthy amount of weight to lose in such a short period of time - please don’t ever strive for that. It’s not good for you - physically or mentally."

Fans immediately praised London for reminding them that you don't need to choose fashion over food.

"So damaging. So toxic. All those young impressionable girls that will try this and think it’s ok. No wonder eating disorder stats are out of control," someone wrote. "We need role models that are compassionate and mindful of the power their words can have."

"Nothing tastes as good as food. So toxic and she probably doesn’t even realize it because she’s living it. Food over fashion; always," added another.

"If I were still a teenager I may have gone on a tomato diet as a result of this," said another. "Thank you for reminding us that we don't need to be a certain weight to be happy and desirable."

Another influencer joining the conversation is "The Real Housewives of Toronto" star Roxy Earle. The fashion designer took to social media following Kardashian's appearance at the Met Gala to remind followers that they are "perfect as they are" and don't need to look like Kardashian to feel beautiful.

"Was it an iconic fashion moment? Yes! But I know many women will watch this and think to themselves that they too should crash diet to feel beautiful at an upcoming summer event or vacation," she wrote in the caption. Seeing Kim do it will send someone down an unhealthy path and awaken old disordered eating demons. So here I am wearing a beautiful gown to remind you that You are perfect as you are."

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