When Kim Kardashian and her waist stepped onto the millennial pink carpet at the 2019 Met Gala on Tuesday, time stood still.

A seemingly indifferent Kanye West beside her, the entrepreneur, fashion icon andKeeping Up with the Kardashiansreality TV star looked impeccable in a House of Mugler silicon and silk organza nude dress.

Every detail of the 38-year-old’s Met Gala look was immaculately planned, from her transparent open-toed mules and slicked back hair made to look like she’d just emerged from the ocean, to the way she posed her arms and fingers to give off the illusion she was dripping with sparkling crystals.

Immediately, my eyes were drawn to the one detail I was meant to notice first. Her waist.

Image: Getty.

Image: Getty.

Image: Getty.

Image: Getty.

We all know what Kim Kardashian's body looks like. It's appeared in our Instagram feeds more times than you can count (or would like). But this time, her waist looked noticeably different. In pop culture terms, she was waist snatching: cinching or drawing in one's waist beyond 'normal' proportions.

Further accentuated by the wet-look silicone fabric that clung to her figure, shirt-like buttons and precise ruching featured down the centre of the gown, and the belt tied at the front in a neat bow, Kim's waist looked tiny.

Distorted, even. Like it defied the laws of physics and everything we know about the human body.

The longer I stared at it, the less it made sense to me. And the angrier I felt. How many more times will I have to face an image from the Kardashians that represents a body ideal I'll never physically be able to obtain?

I'm not alone in my initial criticisms of the way Kim presented her body shape with her Met Gala costume. On social media, the reactions ranged from anger - that a Kardashian once again went and moved the goal posts for what the perfect body is meant to look like - right through to blind awe.

Above any commentary on the dress itself or how well she fit the Met Gala's 'Camp' theme was a curiosity to know:

Exactly how is it possible for someone's waist to look like that?

According to Kim's personal trainer Melissa Alcantara, hours in the gym will get you that waist. She felt the need to defend her client's body on her Instagram stories, saying:

“To make things clear. 1. This dress is corseted BUT 2. Kim trains her a– off 6 days a f—— week, she wakes up early af and is dedicated. 3. I paved the road for her but SHE did the work! I love compliments either way. MOST IMPORTANTLY, I don’t give a s— about your opinions on her body if you think she fake or not! I see her every morning, I see her train and I see her sweat and I see all the work she does outside of the gym and THAT is commendable!"

Image: Melissa Alcantara/Instagram.

Before we get into the

debatable

logistics of Kim's waist circumference, which likely involves said dedicated training, here's some important context:

After much speculation, we now know Kim wore a corset under her House of Mugler couture gown. We know this because, in a behind-the-scenes video fromVogueshowing the extent of Kim's Met Gala prep, no fewer than three men can be seen tugging and pulling at the strings of a flesh-coloured corset tightening around her body.

(You can watch a snippet of the video below, post continues after video.You can watch the full Kim Kardashian West Gets Fitted for Her Waist-Snatching Met Gala Look video on Vogue's YouTube channel here.)

Then, there's the historical references behind the House of Mugler couture dress, which is reported to have brought designer Manfred Thierry Mugler out of semi-retirement.

The gown took eight months to conceptualise and construct, and was the first piece designed for House of Mugler by the fashion house's namesake designer in 20 years. Speaking toVogue, Kim said the French designer had a vision for her to be a "California girl stepping out of the ocean, wet, dripping".

When you look at the image that inspired the design - Sophia Loren wearing a wet shirt dress in the 1957 filmBoy on a Dolphin- you can see where the waist motif comes from.

Image: Getty.

Mr Mugler is also known for creating this cinched waist silhouette in his previous works. The New York Timesdefined his design aesthetic as "wide-shouldered, wasp-waisted, body-conscious", which "helped redefine the female silhouette in the late 1980s".

According to the designer's corset maker Mr Pearl, Mr Mugler has always had a "thirst for the ultimate silhouette".