Skintight Celeb Outfits That Had Us Gasping For Air Just Looking At Them

We've all heard the saying that beauty is pain, and when it comes to celebrities, that couldn't be truer. Over the years, we've seen plenty of stars wear fashion pieces that looked incredibly uncomfortable, all in the name of achieving a certain aesthetic. Sure, we've all worn a pair of jeans a size too tight, or a dress we barely squeezed into, but the rich and famous — they tend to take it much further.

Some stars opt for skintight fashion that is also extremely heavy, others rock pieces that have zero flexibility, and some (we're looking at you, Kim Kardashian) have an unreasonable obsession with creating an unnecessarily tiny waistline. And while they end up looking great, we can't help but wonder if they could have achieved a similar look with a tad more space around their torso and a bit less weight on the garment. After all, breathing is crucial, and nobody should sacrifice that in the name of fashion.

With "Camp: Notes on Fashion" as the 2019 Met Gala theme, there was no doubt that Kim Kardashian was going to go big. When she showed up in a Thierry Mugler design that cinched her waist more than we've ever seen, the sight certainly had us gasping for air. On Instagram, Kardashian revealed that she even had to take "Corset breathing lessons" by corset maker Mr. Pearl. In the aftermath, Kardashian revealed that the look was incredibly painful (via People).

When actor Anne Hathaway attended Milan Fashion Week in 2024, she wore a tight, red leather dress by Versace. On Instagram, Hathaway captioned a carousel from the event with "Breathing? Sitting?" The carousel included a video of Hathaway lying down on a sofa, as she was unable to sit in the dress. While this painful look was worth it, the Hollywood star has made some questionable fashion choices. In fact, we've already discussed Anne Hathaway's boring 2025 Met Gala look, which proves she's stuck in the past.

When Zendaya showed up to the premiere of "Dune" at the 2021 Venice International Film Festival, our jaws instantly dropped. The stunning custom Balmain design gave the illusion of being wet, and the actor admitted that it was uncomfortable to wear. "This is made of leather but it kind of looks liquid, but it's all solid," she explained to Harper's Bazaar. "So it was really difficult to sit in and to breathe in because ... you can't breathe." Of course, Zendaya is known for taking big fashion risks, and this look is just one of many. 

Hollywood star Elle Fanning attended a dinner during the 2019 Cannes Film Festival in a breathtaking dusty pink Prada dress. However, the gown was so snug that the actor ended up fainting at the table. "Yes, my dress was too tight," Fanning told W in 2026. "My sister was sitting at another table, and she saw my chair just completely fall back. It's kind of hilarious — very dramatic ... It was the talk of the festival."

For the 2018 Met Gala, Priyanka Chopra Jonas decided to rock a gold and red Ralph Lauren interpretation of the night's theme, "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination." And even though the design was heavenly, the garment was actually so tight that the actor ended up barely eating all night long. "The corset under that thing, I couldn't breathe," she revealed. "I felt like it reshaped my ribs. So hard to sit during dinner and I obviously couldn't eat too much during that night" (via People).

In 2011, Beyoncé attended the Met Gala in an embellished black corset dress by Emilio Pucci. She looked stunning, however, the musician struggled moving on the red carpet. In fact, Queen B needed help walking up the Met Gala stairs, as the structured design of the gown heavily limited her movement. Apart from causing difficulty when she walked, Beyoncé's corset looked incredibly suffocating, which really shouldn't be the goal. 

The complete transformation of Simone Biles has been incredible, and seeing the Olympic gymnast at the 2021 Met Gala was definitely a treat. The look she wore was a skintight design by Area for Athleta, and with the theme being "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion," we expected the athlete to go all out. However, the 88-pound gown she wore wasn't an easy outfit to breathe in. "How do I feel in the dress? It's definitely heavy, but I feel beautiful, strong, and empowered," the Olympic medal-winning athlete shared with Vogue.

It's not too common for first ladies to wear skintight fashion, but Melania Trump has undeniably been working on changing that. In fact, Melania Trump is known for wearing spicy outfits since she became first lady. The Slovenian-born former model was ready to ring in 2026 in a silver number that certainly seemed very snug around her body. Breathing couldn't have been easy, but she didn't let it show. Her dress may have been made from a forgiving material, or maybe she's just an old pro at smiling through the pain. 

For the 2022 Met Gala theme "In America: An Anthology of Fashion," Kendall Jenner opted to go with a unique design by Prada. However, the two-piece set consisting of a skintight top and dramatic skirt ended up causing her to almost have a panic attack prior to arriving on the red carpet. "My skirt was so big and so heavy. There was so much stuff under it that I literally was out of breath by the time I got into the sprinter van," Jenner revealed during an episode of "The Kardashians."

While Kim Kardashian's 2019 Met Gala look already gave an incredibly tiny waist, it seems as if the reality star was all about taking it even further. In 2024, the theme was "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion," and this time, Kardashian decided to snatch her waist even more. The star wore a design by Maison Margiela, and in a video for Vogue, it was clear just how difficult breathing in the piece was. "How's the breathing, how's it going?" someone asked Kardashian, to which she responded, "It's ... it's an art form. But I got it."