Marilyn Monroe fans lash out at Kim Kardashian: ‘She does not deserve to wear an icon’s dress’

Marilyn Monroe fans have reacted in fury after Kim Kardashian wore her gown to the Met Gala, with one declaring, “She does not deserve to wear such an icon’s dress.”

Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress was not good for “Marilyn’s legacy” on the 60th anniversary of her death, according to experts.

While many pondered, “How do you even go about acquiring a dress Marilyn Monroe wore?” — some Monroe fans were not happy when Kardashian, 41, ascended the steps at Tuesday’s Met Gala while wearing the Hollywood legend’s ‘Happy Birthday Mr. President’ gown from 1962.

The billionaire reality star borrowed the sparkly beige gown from Orlando’s Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum, which previously paid $6.8 million at auction to get ahold of the famous frock.

Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress. Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

Kardashian even forced herself to lose 7kg in three weeks to fit into the curvaceous look, and later changed into a replica of it to keep on partying the night away.

However, while the lawyer-in-training — alongside boyfriend and Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson — dazzled partygoers at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, many people were taken aback by her unearthing of the 60-year-old dress.

“I am extremely disappointed to see this 60-year-old, iconic dress being worn in public,” Michelle Morgan, author of the 2018 book “The Girl: Marilyn Monroe, the Seven Year Itch, and the Birth of an Unlikely Feminist,” told The Post.

Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian. Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

“The gown is extremely fragile and has been previously kept in temperature-controlled conditions, but now here it is, not only being worn, but also in a red carpet environment, where anything could have happened to it,” she continued.

Morgan noted that “sweat, perfume and makeup” could have possibly gotten onto the dress and caused “untold damage and staining.” However, Kardashian reportedly went body-makeup free to the event.

Nina Boski, producer of the Marilyn: Behind the Icon TV docuseries and podcast, echoed Morgan’s stance, telling The Post that the viral Kardashian moment is “not a positive remembrance of the star.”

“I can understand why Kim would want to wear the dress for publicity purposes; however, the dress should have only been worn by one person, and that is the iconic Marilyn Monroe,” Boski said.

“This doesn’t help Marilyn’s legacy, especially on the 60th anniversary of her death,” she added of the Some Like It Hot star, who died in August 1962 at the age of 36.

Marilyn Monroe sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to President John F. Kennedy in 1962 wearing the now famous dress.

Scott Fortner is a Marilyn Monroe historian and collector and also gave his take on the Skims owner’s Met Gala attire.

“Kim did break the internet [with her look] and it was an opportunity for her and Ripley’s,” Fortner told The Post.

“[But] the fans are outraged because it is one of those things in the Marilyn community that is considered sacred. The dress is the quintessential Marilyn Monroe item and it was worn one time by her.”

Fortner firmly stated that the wearing of the frock — a gown that he labelled “a national treasure” — should have remained a once-and-done thing by Monroe herself.

“No one should have re-worn this dress,” Fortner said. “It’s hard because [Kardashian] is one of the most influential people in the world.

“If it was up to me, I would not have allowed it simply because of the importance of the piece in American cultural history. But let me be clear, this is nothing to do with Kim Kardashian,” he added.

“The [Met Gala] moment has raised a level of awareness about Marilyn for a new generation,” Fortner stated. “The dress has its own importance. [Monroe] is a modern-day Cleopatra and she’ll have a cultural presence forever.”

Ripley’s bought the dress for $6.8 million in 2016. Picture: Liliane Lathan/Getty Images

The Post has reached out for comment from representatives for Kardashian and the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum.

Monroe fans also shared their thoughts about the viral fashion moment across social media.

“I’ve always been a huge Marilyn Monroe fan & I just don’t know how to feel about any person/celebrity wearing her clothes esp such a timeless dress from such an iconic moment in history,” one person wrote on Twitter, while another added, “How did she manage to make such an iconic dress literally worn by Marilyn Monroe look like fashion nova? Fascinating.”

“Kim Kardashian wore Marilyn Monroe’s actual dress and I’m livid,” complained one outraged onlooker. “She does not deserve to wear such an actual icon’s dress. She is a plastic snake and Marilyn was a pure beauty. This is absolutely ridiculous and idk who let this happen but I’m very unappeased.”

“Marylin did it better sweetie,” someone commented on Kardashian’s own Instagram page, as another chimed in, “You can’t just leave legends alone can you?”

This story originally appeared on New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Marilyn Monroe fans lash out at Kim Kardashian: ‘She does not deserve to wear an icon’s dress’