They say "beauty is pain," but shouldn't taking care of yourself actually be more important? Like, if an outfit impedes the basic bodily functions you need to survive — i.e. breathing — then it's probably not worth wearing.
Here are 11 times celebs wore red carpet outfits that were so tight or heavy, they had trouble breathing:
1. In the behind-the-scenes clips of Taylor Swift getting ready for the 2018 AMAs red carpet in Miss Americana, she revealed that she had trouble breathing in her dress.
Here's a complete look at her Balmain mirrorball dress:
2. On her way to the 2023 Billboard Women in Music event, Heidi Klum shared an Instagram video demonstrating how tight her dress was.
Here's a full look at her Sohee Park Couture dress:
3. While hosting E!'s red carpet at the 2023 Grammys, Laverne Cox wore an "ethereal Blade Runner" Vera Wang dress. She told the New York Times that the corset she wore with it was so tight, she had trouble breathing.
4. On an episode of The Kardashians, Kendall Jenner shared that the two-piece Prada look she wore to 2022 Met Gala was difficult to wear because of the weighty skirt. She couldn't get into her van unaided, and she had a panic attack on the way to the event.
Here's a full look at her outfit:
5. On an episode of Life of Kylie, Kylie Jenner did her first fitting for the gown she wore to the 2017 Met Gala. She was unhappy with how "loose" the waist was.
Here's a full look at her Versace dress:
6. In 2023, Kyra Sedgwick wore a white jumpsuit to the The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2 premiere. In an Instagram story post she made on the way, she said, "Honestly wish me luck because my dress is so tight I can't breathe...for real."
In a follow-up post from the event, she said, "Update: didn't want to sit, because then I can't breathe, but didn't want to stand because then I can't feel my feet."
7. At the 2017 Golden Globes, Naomie Harris walked the red carpet in an Armani gown. She told Lorraine, "I was very glad to get out of it. It was like a corset. I could barely breathe!"
"I wasn't allowed to eat or drink from 12 o'clock as I couldn't go to the toilet in that dress! I got carried to the car by the man who made the dress, and he lay me flat so I wouldn't crease it!" she said.
8. At the premiere of Dune in 2021, Zendaya wore a corset-inspired Balmain gown that had been molded to her body. She told Harper's Bazaar, "This is made of leather but it kind of looks liquid, but it's all solid. So it's really difficult to sit in and to breathe in because it doesn't, you can't breathe."
"It's just, like, hard, so the whole movie I'm like...just focusing on breathing," she said.
9. In a since-deleted Instagram post, Priyanka Chopra Jonas said, "My second Met Gala outfit was this blood-red Ralph Lauren beautiful outfit with the gold hood. But the corset under that thing, I couldn't breathe. I felt like it reshaped my ribs."
She continued, "So hard to sit during dinner and I obviously couldn't eat too much during that night."
10. Referencing a sketch Julia Louis-Dreyfus did on Inside Amy Schumer, Page Six asked if she was feeling "fuckable" in the Dolce & Gabbana dress she wore to the Downhill premiere in 2020. She replied, "I can't breathe."
"So I don't know if that's meaningful," she said.
11. And finally, for the wet-look Mugler dress she wore to the 2019 Met Gala, Kim Kardashian took "corset breathing lessons from none other than [well-known corset maker] Mr. Pearl."
On Instagram, she said, "It was worth it all!!! And this was the start of a magical, inspiring connection."
The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-888-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.
The National Eating Disorders Association helpline is 1-800-931-2237; for 24/7 crisis support, text “NEDA” to 741741.