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What happens when culture becomes commodity?
July 15, 2022
Dimitrious Kambouris/Getty Images
In the final months of 2020, it was reported that the U.S. Presidential election was the most expensive to date. Seemingly priceless stakes were at risk for both Republican and Democratic parties; power in the White House and majority control in both the Senate and House of Representatives. The fate of democracy essentially became a funding battle reaching a record breaking $14.4 billion, twice the cost of the 2016 election, and dominantly subsidized by donations from each party’s wealthiest supporters.
When Democratic candidate Joseph Biden Jr. was announced as the winner, sitting president and Republican candidate Donald Trump responded with blatant denial and additional funding, raising $255.4 million, for efforts to overturn the repeatedly validated election results. The ordeal resulted in not only the Jan. 6 assault on the Capital, but also a societal shift suggesting that American politics, principle, and history are becoming less cultural and more commodity.
At time of publication democracy remains invaluable, however, in recent months Tesla CEO Elon Musk ticketed freedom of speech and its integrity at $44 billion in his bid for Twitter. A few weeks later, reality-star Kim Kardashian arrived at the 2022 Met Gala donning Marilyn Monroe’s 1962 “Happy Birthday” dress, loaned to her by the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Franchise, in exchange for undisclosed donations to charities of the privately owned company’s choosing.
“What’s the most American thing you can think of? That’s Marilyn Monroe.” Kardashian told Vogue. Renowned for her timeless image which ultimately bridged Hollywood’s entertainment industry with American politics, Monroe’s sparkling gown is one of the most decipherable costumes in American history. The moment defined glamour while igniting rumors of an affair between the actress and President John F. Kennedy, later evolving into conversations of feminine sexuality and its role in patriarchal societies such as our own.
The dress was custom made for the actress from nude souffle gauze and hand-beaded with 2,500 crystals, making it notoriously fragile and Hard To Believe! that it “fit like a glove,” as Kardashian claimed. Despite Ripley’s ensuring all precautions were taken and no damage was caused to the dress, post Met Gala photos recently surfaced revealing missing crystals and tearing, around the hook and eye closures spanning across the back zipper, and a considerable rip to the right shoulder strap.
Although fairly obtained and blessed by Vogue magazine as mentioned previously, Kardashian’s latest publicity stunt has resulted in much scrutiny from costume conservators. “I’m frustrated because it sets back what is considered professional treatment for historic costume,” former head of conservation at the Met’s Costume Institute, Sarah Scaturro told the LA Times. “In the ’80s, a bunch of costume professionals came together to state a resolution that historic costume should not be worn. So my worry is that colleagues in historic costume collections are now going to be pressured by important people to let them wear garments.”
Additionally, Bob Mackie, the designer who originally sketched the look for Monroe, stated to Entertainment Weekly, “It was designed for [Marilyn Monroe]. Nobody else should be seen in that dress.” Pre-Gala, the artifact was recently valued at $10 million. Post-Gala, however, the gown represents a moment of irrevocable damage to American history; strained, torn, and cheapened by personal interests of one wealthy individual. While ultimately the decision of what to do with companies, artifacts, etc. is up to their owners, the events of 2020 seemingly resulted in a climate in which Kardashian felt validated to borrow that dress, and Ripley’s felt it appropriate to comply.
As history is known to repeat itself, the American dream is once again being challenged and gaslit. Privilege once unjustly established through bloodlines and monarchies, and condemned through revolution, is now accessible to anyone with enough fame and fortune.
In his 2010 song titled POWER, Ye West, Kardashian’s soon to be ex-husband and avid Trump supporter, grapples with the dynamics of his own fame. “No one man should have all that power,” he (ironically) raps. In the case of our nation’s future, however, the threat is not necessarily one man but one percent, and its incessant drive to establish legacy in ways that transcend time and space no matter the cost.