Kim Kardashian Reacts To More Marilyn Monroe Dress Criticisms

Kim Kardashian continued to dismiss the ongoing criticism of her dramatic Met gala weight loss on Tuesday, repeating the rationale she's now shared across multiple news outlets.

"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."

Kim lost 16 pounds in three weeks to fit into the bedazzled 1962 gown that Marilyn Monroe wore during her infamous "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" performance for John F. Kennedy. Many have since argued that the dramatic weight loss sent a dangerous message regarding body image and dieting to Kim's millions of followers, but the reality star has been steadfast in her defense: To her, the Met Gala appearance was just as much of a performance as any acting role that would require a physical transformation. 

Earlier this month, she offered a similar reasoning to the New York Times. "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?'" 

Kim went even further on Tuesday, though, combatting the claims that she had endangered her own health as well. 

"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." 

Last week, Ripley's Believe It or Not! also debunked a claim that Kim had damaged the dress while wearing it on the red carpet. Though photos leaked online claimed that she had stretched and ripped the fabric's seams, the museum -- which purchased the dress for $4.8 million at an auction in 2016 -- posted a statement to its website that it can say "with confidence" that Kim's use did not "cause damage" to the famed garment. The statement, along with Kim's Today appearance, was the newest in what is now a growing collection of defenses that Kim and her team have employed over the last two months. 

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