- Kim Kardashian’s 2023 Met Gala look was a customized Schiaparelli made with dozens of strands of pearls.
- The look references the beloved “you are doing superb, sweetie” meme.
- The self-reference wasn’t the one one of many night time and may very well be a superb strategic transfer.
Kim Kardashian’s 2023 Met Gala look — a customized Schiaparelli comprised of dozens of strands of pearls and a shapewear-but-better corset — was meant to honor Karl Lagerfeld, however it additionally referenced one of many web’s most dearly beloved memes: the 2007 classic “you are doing superb, sweetie.”
The second from season one, episode 4 of “Holding Up with the Kardashians,” reveals Kris Jenner in full mom-ager mode, taking footage and cheering Kim on with these phrases of encouragement as she poses nude except for dozens of strands of pearls for a “Playboy” photoshoot.
“You are doing superb, sweetie” is likely one of the Kardashian household’s earliest and maybe most enduring memes. You can argue it has been referenced as lately as Ariana Grande’s 2018 “Thank U, Subsequent” music video when Jenner reprised the function of sexually progressive cheerleader mother cosplaying Regina George’s mom. It additionally comes at exactly the second when onlookers appear to be musing about whether or not the Kardashians are over. A rumor circulated earlier this 12 months that the Kardashian-Jenners would not be invited to the Met Gala, maybe in a transfer to keep away from over-exposure and preserve relevancy. (In actuality, Kim, Kendall, and Kylie attended.)
As an alternative, Kim wore a glamorized reference to her early days and reminded onlookers of how far she’s come — from feeling like an outsider when she attended as Kanye West’s plus-one in 2013 to producing headlines like: “Why the Met Gala Wants the Kardashians” in 2023.
The look, markedly much less controversial than when she wore Marilyn Monroe’s 1962 Bob Mackie costume final 12 months, was additionally decently on theme; The Met’s steps noticed loads of pearls — together with on Lizzo and Brian Tyree Henry. Kardashian’s look additionally wasn’t the one one to reference herself: Nicole Kidman confirmed up within the iconic costume Lagerfeld designed for her well-known 2004 Chanel No. 5 industrial.
The costume additionally supplied a not-so-subtle nod to Kardashian’s shapewear empire — $3.2 billion model Skims, which was not misplaced on viewers.
—Ok’amsiyo❤️ (@Sunnieesideup_) May 2, 2023
—Dani (feat. Ludacris) (@DaniBaby4thewin) May 2, 2023
The “you are doing superb, sweetie” meme is its personal Warholian cultural artifact — one which’s free, simply sufficiently old to be minorly nostalgic, and recycled from the Kardashians’ personal archives. Kim, who’s memed much more usually than most celebrities, is actually no stranger to going viral.
As cultural critic and Kardashianologist MJ Corey identified in a Could 2 TikTok, the 2023 Met Gala is precisely a decade from Kim’s first look. In 2013, Kim’s outfit was additionally was a meme, and he or she mentioned she cried the “entire method residence.”
“Ten years later from Kim’s first look, by which she turned a meme,” Corey instructed her 190,800 followers. “She references her personal meme. She brings the meme to the carpet.”