The real meaning behind Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala dress.

If you, like me, saw Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala 2023 dress and were a little… underwhelmed, you’re forgiven.

Because history has shown that Kim knows how to turn it up for the Met – drawing all the biggest headlines and most-downloaded pics for her most iconic looks.

The dripping wet with diamonds Mugler look.

The 'I-Stole-Marilyn-Monroe’s-Dress' look.

The sleep paralysis demon look.

Even the all-over-floral dress and gloves situation she wore for her first Met appearance with Kanye garnered a boatload of media coverage.

So when Kim wandered up the chalky white carpet of the Met steps this year, people were confused. Sure, she looks incredible and has pulled off a look that is worthy of the Met Gala – but it didn’t hit with the same whallop.

Which can only mean one thing from the second most strategic woman in Hollywood (yes, her mum has owned the top spot for decades): that there was significant meaning behind this look.

And we think we’ve found it.

For those who have Kardashian history living rent-free in their minds at all times, you’ll be familiar with a certain photoshoot Kim did for Playboy magazine.

A photoshoot that involved a lot of pearls…

Image: Keeping Up With The Kardashians on E!
This shoot was one that Kim felt a little pressured into doing. She was at a tricky point in her career. Sorta pretty famous but not at the global level that she craved. Her mum thought that it would be a good boost for her profile to be on the cover of Playboy, but Kim was sceptical because she was trying to distance herself from her leaked sex tape and she thought this might bubble up that conversation again.

But Kris Jenner was confident it was the perfect thing to do. So the shoot happened, with the momager standing in the studio cheering on her daughter.

Once the photos were released, Kim wasn't chuffed. There was more of her body on show than she wanted. She felt exposed – in the most public way possible.

Kim hasn't spoken much of the Playboy shoot since, with the only on-camera conversation about the photos happening on a Keeping Up With The Kardashians reunion, hosted by Andy Cohen. Andy asked if it was something Kim regretted, and she simply responded, "I would say, don't be so trusting".

But it seems that Kim is 'speaking' about it now through the means of her sartorial choices on the most photographed red carpet on planet Earth.

Kim donned 50,000 pearls draped over her semi-naked/semi-Skims-covered body. Paired them with a 'just rolled out of bed in the 1950s' up-do and a f**king massive jewelled necklace. 

The Met Gala 2023 theme was all to do with Chanel and Karl Largerfeld's legacy, but that wasn't the focus of Kim's outfit. Instead, she was making a statement and reclaiming a time in her past she'd love to rewrite. 

She mimicked a look from a shoot she hated and elevated it tenfold.

She walked that look up the steps of the Met, knowing that millions of people would see her, photograph her, talk about her, praise her, idolise her. 

And with every single piece of positivity garnered from this look, she's writing over her own history.

Don't you dare ever say that Kim Kardashian doesn't know what she's doing. Because she just changed her own narrative without saying a single word.

Image: Getty + Playboy.