Ripley’s: Believe It or Not, Marilyn Monroe’s Dress Is Just Fine, Actually

As the internet continues to nominate outfits that must be protected from Kim Kardashian’s sartorial vandalism, the company that allowed her to sport Marilyn Monroe’s second most iconic dress at the Met Gala has chimed in. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is defending its decision to let Kim wear the dress and insists that all the wear and tear on the garment was there before the reality star and her world-famous butt shimmied into it.

“A report written on the dress’s condition in 2017 states ‘a number of the seams are pulled and worn. This is not surprising given how delicate the material is. There is puckering at the back by the hooks and eyes,’ among other instances of damage,” the company wrote in an Instagram post. “Kim Kardashian wearing the dress has been hotly contested, but she did not personally damage the garment in the short amount of time it was worn at the Met Gala.”

According to the before and after photos of the dress posted online by Monroe historian Scott Forner Tuesday, that description sounds pretty true. However, the picture taken post-Met Gala still makes it looks like the puckering and pulling has gotten worse. The attractions company, which purchased the dress for a record-breaking $4.8 million at auction in 2016, also said in its Instagram statement that they weren’t the only ones to agree to it being worn: “Believe It or Not! the powers that be, behind the Met Gala, approved Kim’s choice.”

The controversy over the dress has now been brewing for over a month. First, there were critics like Riverdale’s Lili Reinhardt, who pointed out that the crash diet Kim embarked on to fit into it sounded wildly unhealthy. Fashion conservators also reacted in horror, as wearing archived historical garb is the field’s biggest no-no.

“Our mission is both to entertain and educate, and sparking conversations like the discourse around this dress does just that. No matter which side of the debate you are, the historical importance of the dress has not been negated, but rather highlighted,” Ripley’s wrote on Instagram. The idea that imperiling a piece of cultural history is just another way to underline its significance is, I guess, true, but the logic still is kind of wild. Dangling the Mona Lisa over the edge of a cliff—just highlighting its historical importance! The fire at Notre Dame—another big moment in importance-highlighting. Now I’m worried about everything else in Ripley’s holdings. Has anyone checked in on the two-headed calf?

• Netflix dropped a teaser trailer for Blonde, its fictionalized Marilyn Monroe biopic starring Ana de Armas. If you watch it while pretending that she’s sad about some lady wearing her favorite dress, it still kind of works. [Deadline]
• Ezra Miller has been accused of menacing and harassing a 12-year-old and their mom. And no, not that 12-year-old, a new 12-year-old. [The Daily Beast]
• Joe Jonas welcomed Tom Holland into the short king club. [E! News]
• Kendall Jenner is just as perplexed by her cucumber cutting technique as the rest of us are. [Us Weekly]
• After someone in a crowd of fans and paparazzi had the gall to accidentally shove Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks had to put his foot down. [NBC News]