Kim Kardashian made headlines for transforming her body to fit into Marilyn Monroe’s iconic “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress at the 2022 Met Gala, and this year, her dedication to pull off a look continued as she wore an insanely tight corset that required her to practice breathing ahead of the event once again.

The Met Gala has always been a stage for extremes, where fashion transcends practicality and becomes performance. Kim Kardashian, no stranger to pushing boundaries, once again stole the spotlight at the 2024 event with an outfit that sparked equal parts awe and concern. Her corseted Maison Margiela gown, designed by John Galliano, cinched her waist to an almost surreal silhouette, and though visually stunning, the piece left Kim struggling to breathe. Cameras captured her carefully measured breaths, her composed face masking the physical strain beneath. When asked about her look, Kim offered a telling response: “It’s an art form.”

The “Kardashians” star spilled on the secrets behind her Met Gala 2024 red carpet look in a behind-the-scenes video for Vogue on Tuesday, with the 43-year-old pursing her lips and struggling to breathe as she gets her hair done at the beginning of the clip.

Kim Kardashian had to practice breathing in her insanely tight corset before stepping out at the 2024 Met Gala.Vogue

The star wowed in an open metalwork skirt and silver brocade corset.AFP via Getty Images

Kardashian posed with John Galliano on the red carpet.Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

Kim’s silver corset whittled her waist to an insanely small size.GC Images
“How’s your breathing? How’s it going” a voice asks off-camera before Kardashian replies, “It’s … it’s an art form. But I got it.”

The Skims founder explained that she was doing a “trial day” two days ahead of the Met Gala to test her beauty look and practice wearing her silver Maison Margiela corset and metal skirt.

“This is actually the first time I’ve ever done this,” the 11-time Met Gala attendee shared, comparing her glam session to people “testing their wedding makeup.”

“Never done that either,” she said with a wink to the camera.

She was surrounded by white-coated team members who put the finishing touches on her metal skirt.Vogue

The reality star covered up with a fuzzy gray cardigan.FilmMagic
Explaining that John Galliano’s designs have been on her “mood board for years,” the Skkn by Kim founder shared that it had taken her years to get the current Maison Margiela creative director to agree to dress her for the Met Gala.

“To put it lightly, that is about four or five years of me stalking him to try to see if he would ever design a look for me for the Met,” she admitted.

As for the look, Kardashian said that when she heard about the 2024 theme, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” she imagined “having the best night of your entire life with your most magical person and you just are in a garden.”

After waking up from the incredible evening, the star said she’d pictured taking “her boyfriend’s sweater, to like, run off to make it where I have to be.”

While plenty of social media users were confused about her wearing a pilled cardigan on the Met Gala red carpet, they also had plenty to say about her corset, with some claiming she was “crushing her organs.”

Her skirt featured metal flowers and leaves.Getty Images

Kardashian said she loved how the corset made her feel “snatched.”Vogue
This isn’t the first time the TV star has come under fire for an extreme waist-cinching look; she admitted to taking “corset breathing lessons” to wear her 2019 Thierry Mugler Met Gala dress and also received similar backlash when she rocked another waist-obliterating Mugler corset earlier this year.

Along with struggling to breathe, Kim’s custom outfit posed another challenge.

Because of the intricate detail on her skirt, the mom of four — who revealed that her 10-year-old daughter, North West, would choose her Marilyn dress if the tween could pick anything from her mom’s closet — had to wear a pair of clear platform shoes with no heel so they wouldn’t “get stuck in the metal.”

“To wear these, you’re on your tiptoes and you’re balancing the whole time flexing your calf muscles,” she explained before taking tiny steps around the room.

“This is our only practice, but we’ll do it,” she said.

The Met Gala has always been a stage for extremes, where fashion transcends practicality and becomes performance. Kim Kardashian, no stranger to pushing boundaries, once again stole the spotlight at the 2024 event with an outfit that sparked equal parts awe and concern. Her corseted Maison Margiela gown, designed by John Galliano, cinched her waist to an almost surreal silhouette, and though visually stunning, the piece left Kim struggling to breathe. Cameras captured her carefully measured breaths, her composed face masking the physical strain beneath. When asked about her look, Kim offered a telling response: “It’s an art form.”

The corset itself was a masterpiece of craftsmanship, sculpting Kim’s body into a shape that seemed to defy anatomy. Layered with a metallic draped skirt and paired with a delicate shrug, the look was bold, futuristic, and unforgettable. Yet beneath the polished exterior was a far more human reality: the restrictive nature of the corset made each breath a labor. In backstage footage released by Vogue, Kim could be seen inhaling slowly through her mouth, her posture stiff, her shoulders rising higher than usual. She admitted that the dress made her feel “claustrophobic” and at times on the brink of panic. It was fashion as endurance, an artistic statement intertwined with physical sacrifice.

The night of the gala was only the beginning. Later, in an episode of The Kardashians, Kim described what happened once she left the carpet and entered her car. She confessed to feeling overwhelming nausea, tightness in her chest, and an almost suffocating sensation. “I’m literally going to throw up. I can’t breathe. I feel like I’m going to die if you don’t get this off of me right now,” she recalled telling her team. Once they managed to loosen the corset back at her hotel, she was left with bruises and deep indentations on her skin, visible reminders of the price she paid for the evening’s spectacle.

For Kim, however, the sacrifice was worth it. When asked if she regretted enduring the discomfort, her response was characteristically blunt: “Abso-f—king-lutely not. If you look good, it’s all worth it.” This attitude reflects a philosophy Kim has embraced throughout her career—an unwavering commitment to the aesthetic, no matter the toll. She has often spoken about beauty and fashion as forms of performance art, moments meant to provoke conversation and etch themselves into cultural memory. For her, enduring temporary discomfort in exchange for an iconic moment is not only acceptable but essential.

The audience reaction was split down the middle. On one hand, fans and fashion critics hailed the look as daring and unforgettable, praising Galliano’s artistry and Kim’s fearless approach. The cinched waist, the metallic tones, and the overall silhouette were described as “otherworldly” and “avant-garde.” On the other hand, many viewers expressed concern, questioning the health implications of such extreme corseting. Social media was flooded with comments like, “Where are her organs?” and “No look is worth suffocating for.” For some, Kim’s appearance was less a celebration of art and more a troubling reinforcement of dangerous beauty standards.

Medical experts weighed in as well, offering perspective on the potential consequences of restrictive corsets. Prolonged compression of the torso can shift internal organs, restrict lung expansion, interfere with digestion, and create long-term musculoskeletal issues. While Kim only wore the garment for a limited time, the images of her struggling to breathe reignited conversations about the price women often pay for fashion and the societal pressures that normalize such extremes. The debate extended beyond Kim herself, touching on broader themes of body image, unrealistic expectations, and the fine line between artistry and harm.

This was not the first time Kim Kardashian has embraced discomfort in the name of fashion. In 2022, she famously lost weight rapidly to fit into Marilyn Monroe’s iconic “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress, a move that drew both admiration and backlash. In previous Met Galas, she has worn heavily corseted gowns, including a Mugler dress in 2019 that was so tightly fitted she admitted she could not sit down or use the restroom for hours. Each time, the conversation has been the same: applause for her willingness to create unforgettable red-carpet moments, alongside criticism for pushing unhealthy ideals.

What sets the 2024 look apart, however, is Kim’s own acknowledgment of the difficulty. By calling the act of breathing in the corset “an art form,” she reframed her struggle not as a flaw but as part of the performance. In her view, the gown was not just clothing—it was theater. She became a living sculpture, her body a canvas for Galliano’s design, and the endurance it required was part of the artistic statement. Whether audiences accept that framing or reject it as rationalization depends largely on how one views the intersection of fashion, health, and spectacle.

For Kim’s supporters, this unapologetic embrace of extremes is precisely what makes her an icon. She has built a career on rewriting the rules of celebrity culture, turning even her vulnerabilities into opportunities for reinvention. By candidly admitting that she nearly panicked in the corset, she humanized the moment without undermining its impact. To her fans, this duality—the flawless image on the carpet and the messy reality behind the scenes—is exactly what makes her relatable.

For critics, however, the event reinforced long-standing frustrations. They argue that Kim’s choices perpetuate unattainable beauty standards that can be damaging for young women watching from afar. While most fans understand that her look was a high-fashion costume rather than an everyday reality, the visual of her impossibly tiny waist, paired with her willingness to endure pain for aesthetics, fuels unrealistic ideals. The Met Gala is meant to celebrate art, but when the art risks suffocation, many wonder if the cost is too high.

Regardless of where one stands, there is no denying the cultural impact of Kim Kardashian’s 2024 Met Gala appearance. The corset dress instantly became one of the most talked-about looks of the year, sparking debates across fashion, health, and celebrity culture. It was a moment that embodied both the brilliance and the contradictions of Kim’s career: daring yet divisive, glamorous yet human, aspirational yet unsettling. The images will endure long after the discomfort has faded, cementing the look as one of the most memorable in Met Gala history.

In the end, Kim Kardashian achieved exactly what she set out to do: she captured attention, provoked conversation, and blurred the lines between beauty and performance. Whether one sees her corset as a triumph of artistry or a troubling symbol of sacrifice, it remains unforgettable. To Kim, that’s the ultimate success. For her, breathing may have been an art form that night—but more importantly, so was being unforgettable.