Kim Kardashian dismissed criticism over her dramatic weight loss for the Met Gala, saying that it was "really important" to her to slim down to fit into a gown once worn by Marilyn Monroe.
Kardashian lost 16 pounds in three weeks for the event and in doing so sparked outrage among many who said she was sending a dangerous message about body image and diet culture to fans. In a new interview with "Today," Kardashian shrugged off the criticism by reasoning that her Met Gala appearance was a performance like any acting role that required a physical transformation.
"I looked at it like a role," she told "Today" show co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb on Tuesday. "And I really wanted to wear this dress. It was really important to me."
During an interview with The New York Times earlier this month, Kardashian offered similar reasoning.
"To me it was like, OK, Christian Bale can do it for a movie role and that is acceptable," she said. "Even Renée Zellweger gained weight for a role. It's all the same to me. I wasn’t saying, Hey everyone, why don’t you go lose this weight in a short period of time?"
Speaking during her appearance on "Today," Kardashian also addressed claims that she had endangered her own health by losing so much weight in a short period of time.
"It actually taught me a lot about my lifestyle and my health," she said. "And since then, afterwards, I continue to eat really healthy. I'm down 21 pounds now. I'm not trying to lose any more weight, but I have more energy than ever. I cut out so much sugar. A lot of junk food I was eating ... I just completely changed my lifestyle."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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